Gaze of Devilish Eyes
by FranKey AdeL
Summary: In his pursuit for power, he was damned to a life of solitude. Hailed as the 'Zero', she was the epitome of failure in magic. Grief-stricken, she yearns the acknowledgement she has for so long been denied. Conjured by her will, a being of terrible power arisen. When two great powers collide, Armageddon would ensue. Death and destruction mere tell-tale signs of their wake. REWRITTEN
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer**  


**I do not own any of the original source material.**

**Zero no Tsukaima and all of its characters and contents are owned by the Late Noboru Yamaguchi. **

**May his soul rest in peace. God blessed.**

**Naruto and all of its characters and contents are owned by Masashi Kishimoto. **

**This is a re-written version of the fiction, 'The Whites of Honest Eyes'**

**Renamed to 'The Gaze of Devilish Eyes' due to revised plot.**

* * *

**Legends:**

"Sentences within double apostrophe brackets" represents standard speech.

'_Italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets' represents circumstantial monologues._

'_**Bold and italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets**_**' represents flash back instances.**

"**SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS YELLS, SHOUTS & ETC.**

"_**ITALIC SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS V.I SPEECH.**_

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***Story begins***

***Kabuto's POV***

***Land of Sound: Unknown Precinct***

* * *

"Here it is. Hmm…the Atlanteans. Ancient pro-humans from before the ages of modern era." A couple of hours had passed since the break of dawn came. However, only the tedious rhymes of numerous machines and computers filled the stale air of the lab.

"According to folklore, the Atlanteans strived for power. In their mindless pursuit for greater might, they had inexplicably angered the gods. Ruined and desperate, they devised a technology to reclaim their former glory…and lost. The Temporis Spatio relic." I muttered with a hint of curiosity as I explored the peculiar ovoid-looking silicon device.

Many hours of rigging spent - with a classification of live wires, coils of gold-plated conductors and loosed energy detectors, it has been under heavy scrutiny ever since I had uncovered it accidentally within the Mariana depths during one of my many tomb raids. Said to have been originated from an ancient yet advance civilization known as Atlantis that pre-dated even the Sage of the Six Paths - by now it would have been long gone, sunk beneath the earth by tonnes of soil and magma. In myth, the ancient Atlanteans were at their zenith in science, possessing unrivalled knowledge and superior technology to the point of achieving miracles, a far cry from current era. This device in particular, as stated in their legend, was the ultimatum of their entire civilization.

Numerous other silicon based tablets were also discovered alongside the artefact. The ancient yet strangely intact tablets were riddled with impossibly minute electrical emitters that could transmit data via network impulses. They emitted some traces of electrical pulses when touched, barely enough to form a stable connection without some kind of external energy. After many hours of failed attempts to decipher the odd objects, I had finally understood the reason for such an odd design. These were essentially computers, an extremely advance one in design but a computer nonetheless.

The device was connected to a machine I'd built specially designed to capture and translate those electric pulses into useful data or at least a familiar form of format that human could understand. The results shown on screen were, for lack of better term, amazing and at the same time, alien. Matter and anti-matter manipulation. Perpetual E.M propulsion technology. Cold fusion technology. Nano technology. Robotics and Cybernetics. Space-time technology. Cyrostasis. F.T.L technology and Spaceflight. The list went on. These were considered too advance by some, impossible by most. There were others of other existing technology but to a greater refinement and more advance than any that existed today. The rest were more, 'sensitive' in nature. Genetic modification, biological mutations, chemical alterations and extreme indoctrination to name a few which were experimented mostly on…live subjects.

"So those legends weren't without its justification then." I wondered aloud. This will turn the tide of the war favourably.

'_**CLICK! SCHHWAFF~! VREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW~!'**_

"Wha…w-what in devil's name…?" I spurted in a fit of panic as I drifted my attention from the green-coloured background of the screen to the slightly glowing artefact. The device glowed a dimmed turquoise blue, shimmering off the screen's reflective glass. A vague figure enveloped in blue, an image that barely resembled that of man appeared. A voice slipped into existence as the image figure shimmered into physical reality. I narrowed my vision and scanned for traces of any 'genjutsu' but found nothing of sort.

"_**PROJECT EDEN – 6513ALC. 'V.I' PERSONALITY RETRIEVED. DATA COMPILED. REBOOT COMPLETE. MOBILE SPATIAL-TEMPORAL DISPLACEMENT DEVICE - ONLINE. GEO-TOMOGRAPHY - UNAVAILABLE. GEO-COMPASS - ACTIVATED, DETECTING WEAK ANOMALY WITHIN 20 LEAGUES. ENGAGING COMMUNICATION - ENGAGEMENT FAILED. EARTH AXIS HAS DIVERGED BY 0.00019**__**°. ACCLIMATION - UNKNOWN. CONTINENT STATE - UNKNOWN. TEMPORAL STATE - STABLE. SPATIAL STATE - STABLE. E.M STATE - STABLE. DIVERGENCE METRE ACTIVATED - S.0.035235674/T.0.032654539. CURRENT YEAR - UNKNOWN. ESTIMATING 50,000 EARTH YEARS AFTER LAST CYCLE THROUGH CARBON TEST.**__**"**_

It felt like I fell into a deep trance, unable to comply nor reject the foreign stimulus – trapped within my own mind. The voice was…for lack of better term, soulless. The pitch was oddly flat yet low pitched at the same time. How I could understand its words were lost to me but focused my attention further to its appearance. As the image grew fascinatingly more lucid, the dark interior of my lab was slowly washed away by the ambience light emitted from it. A man, no…from afar, 'it' would had certainly been passed as a 'vague' man's figure. However, this 'thing' was no man. Two pairs of eyes, the lower pair bigger than its twin sitting just above them, each equipped with a glass-hour shaped pupils. Its top flourished by a layer of thick carapace of sort, maybe functioned to increase protection to the skull. The fore of the cone-shaped head sited three pairs of oddly placed nostril-like pores and a singular, thin slit that most likely be the mouth, though they were static even as the voice kept its pace on its strange speech.

"_**AUTO-JUMP PROGRAMME FOUND. ENGAGING PRIMARY ORDER, COMPLETE. RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC, DIAGNOSTIC SCAN COMPLETE. ACTIVATION OF WARP ENGINE, COMPLETE. CALCULATING SPATIAL-TEMPORAL JUMP TRAJECTORY, COMPLETE. WARNING! SPATIAL-TEMPORAL DISTURBANCE DETECTED. DISTURBANCE SOURCE…UNKNOWN. WARNING! SPATIAL COLLAPSE DETECTED NEARBY. ENGAGE EVASIVE ORDER - CURRENT HOST UNABLE TO COMPLY."**_

The figure sported in full battle armour, adorned with eccentric design unlike kanji characters. Limping from the shoulders, forearms crudely resembled that of man simply dangled in empty space, digits countable up to only three per arm. It stood straight like all man, albeit unlike any man, 'it' was supported by an even strangely designed hind limbs that had only a pair of elongated toes on each appendage.

Of course, all these ramblings were merely a thinly veiled attempt to distract myself from the fact that I had just been absorbed by some kind of strange ovoid portal. It seemed that the heavens was not through with harassing me just yet as I felt myself being pulled and ripped apart by some kind of spatial interference. The next thing I knew was being sucked out of the chair that supposedly where my bottom had been glued to for the last few days and now found myself literally hurtled unfathomable distances through some kind of gravitational well. The longer I spent in the black void, the more I realized that this was some kind of summoning technique. Unsurprisingly, I did not went empty handed as the artefact was held firmly tight within my grip. I quickly pulled over my hood to veil my face, not knowing what the other side might hold.

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***End of Prologue Chapter***

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**Author's Notes, Ideas, Concepts and Thoughts:**

Hey, I know that this might have been a tad too late but I'm rewriting the first three chapters plus this prologue chapter. The chief reason was simply to improve on certain scenes, fixed tonnes of grammar and punctuation issues and many of the ill-suited words used, so that future plot could advance smoother and redesigned to make reading much more friendly without too much clutter and less likely to look like some insane guy's rants on hocus pocus~ It was also due to the fact that I wished to change the direction of the plot. The first version was centred to make Kabuto the Super Star of the fic…this version is, well…that would be telling, won't it. So I'll keep it a secret for now. The previous version was also riddled with mistakes, utterly embarrassing when I re-read them. I've been learning English exclusively off TV shows like anime's subs and western movies, so I doubt that anything I'll write would ever be compared to awesome fics written by, let say, gabriel blessing, forthright, S'TarKan, Kenchi618 or Allora Gale. This fic will be updated regularly at least once a month, fastest would take at least a fortnight and latest could take as long as two months to half a year depending on the flow of the story and my team's mental condition and also something called my job...assisting physicians on their task are demanding and tiresome… :|

Another note is Kabuto's demeanour and personality. One of the rewritten objectives was to recalibrate one of the most prominent character in the whole fic, which is to say Kabuto himself. And why wouldn't he be? He's an unknown force brought forth from a war-torn world…well…'torn'er-ish. I've been getting reviews and feedbacks concerning his speech, his forgiving attitude and etc. Some example like "Kabuto is quite calm, almost AU" or "He's a little too forgiving" and "Kabuto's too kind" or something like that. Honestly saying, I'm sorry if I didn't get it right, which is why I'd planned to rewrite it in the first place as an offering of peace. Now don't get me wrong, I appreciated all the tiny tip-bits here and there as they encouraged me to further improve the fic. Finally, the myth of the Temporis Spatio is just made-up fiction inspired from Mass Effect to add some depth to the fiction, a plot device if you may. Just to those who thinks that this will be a Mass Effect crossover, let me clarify it first – No, this is not a Mass Effect crossover. Just Kabuto and the rest of ZnT.

**Please R&R. **

**Yours Truly; FranKey**

* * *

**Written and arranged by 'FranKey AdeL' (Author)**

**Ideas and Theories by 'Chongie Af' (Theorist)**

**Special Thanks;**

**Art cover of Kabuto and Louise by courtesy of 'Buntaks' (Art Designer)**

**Plot quality assured by 'Ark' (Plot Beta reader)**


	2. 1st Shed

**First Shed: Invocation of the White Sage**

**Disclaimer**

**I do not own any of the original source material.**

**The Late Noboru Yamaguchi owns Zero no Tsukaima and all of its characters and contents. **

**May he rest in peace, God blessed his soul.**

**Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and all of its characters and contents. **

**This is a re-written version of the original fiction, 'The Whites of Honest Eyes'**

**Renamed to 'The Gaze of Devilish Eyes'**

* * *

**Legends:**

"Sentences within double apostrophe brackets" represents standard speech.

'_Italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets' represents circumstantial monologues._

'_**Bold and italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets**_**' represents flash back instances.**

"**SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS YELLS, SHOUTS & ETC.**

"_**ITALIC SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS V.I SPEECH.**_

* * *

***Story begins***

***Kabuto's POV***

***Unknown land: Unidentified terrain***

* * *

The trip was uneventful for the most part - except for which the technique seemingly decided to land me in the most uncomfortable and painful way; dipped head first.

I was caught in a coughing fit when the dust kicked in, filling my nostrils and flowing down my areolae as I slowly rise to my feet. Steadily shifting my stance into a defensive manner as I kept my killing intent in-check. I breathed in as much needed fresh air to my now nearly diminished oxygen supply while still retaining my defensive posture. As my right arm rested over my concealed face and the other just below chest level, shielding critical areas with three kunai knives slit in between the knuckles.

Dropping into a high-crouch position to provide sufficient footing while lowering my own centre of gravity, it would additionally reduce the chances of strayed strikes while providing a full motion range to pull off instant ninjutsus in quick succession or readily parry any incoming attacks or projectile - effectively covering all critical points.

As the cloud of dust subsided, a grassy plane was caught at first sight. I blinked. Miniskirt. That was the first thing that came to mind that concisely described the petite girl standing in front of me. At a full height that barely even reached my shoulder and a frame so thin that a mild breeze could have easily been imagined to carry her off with the wind. Sporting a long vibrant hair of strawberry blonde that very nearly touched the hem of her skirt while adorned with a pure white blouse topped by a black cloak fastened by which looked like a sort of brass or golden pentagram pendant. From the waist down, she sported a weird combo of dark shade of grey miniskirt, a pair of black stockings and top with an even darker shade of black loafers.

When her gaze met mine, I saw build-up anxiety within her vivid shade of auburn eyes, filled with steel-firmed resolve and resolute willpower. Yet behind those robust fortitude on the surface, deep within her, I could tell that she was on the brink of total breakdown. She took noticed of my invidious glance from within the see-through slit of my hood, and apparently she seemed mildly peeved for reasons vaguely known to me. Ever since my arrival, presence of multiple heat signatures close-by meant that I was surrounded by a flock of teens in similar fashion to the pinkette albeit differed with the male populace who wore black trousers instead of miniskirts and stockings. Whispering murmurs echoed from the encircling groups of young teens as they spread each other's ideology, possibly of my character and origin. Then, as the murmurs died down, some of them began shouting out loud tones of insults. To further confirm my newly made hypothesis, the pinkette, my summoner looked overly distressed over the incoming teasing tone and verbal comments yet strangely apathetic to retort. Sensing no potential dangers from these 'children', I kept away my kunai knives and straighten myself for the prospective steps of every summoning technique, the binding contract.

"Are you the one who had summoned me here, young lady?" I enquired with only a hint of haughtiness.

The pinkette had not bothered to hide any emotion of resentment as she stomped towards me, yelling vehemently which I failed to comprehend. From the first few syllables, I noted that it sounded familiarly westerned, sporting a very heavy accent and a totally foreign rhyme of pronunciation. I cocked my head to the side, neither attempted nor thought to demean the opposing speaker but it seemed as if it was.

Grumbling, the pinkette once again spoke, only to find it to fall on deaf ears. I merely stood there absently, unswayed by her somewhat crude speech, spoken in a rather disdainful tone. The once scornful pinkette turned taciturn and well…seemed vexed by the unwelcoming feeling of failure - that and the added fuel of verbal abuse from her peers. You do not need to be a genius to figure out that she was the pitiful black sheep of the flock. I shrugged at the thought before shifting my gaze towards a bald elder man, possibly in his forties. Cladded in a simple yet expensive looking blue robe and armed with a club-like wooden staff, though appeared to be as just a harmless middle-aged man, yet he carried himself well considering the situation. Donning a calm and composed expression, his demeanour could have fooled most people. The subtle signs of a veteran soldier.

"My, my, what a situation I've gotten myself into." I murmured to myself solemnly. This certainly was not one of my worst day but it was certainly annoying and aggravating. Better delve further for information of what the hell is happening here. This is a summoning technique, of that, I am absolutely sure. However, the presence of several other animals including a quadrupedal drakeand a giant flame-tipped salamander presented another question. Motive.

Finally, I took the first major step since this ridiculous farce had begun. I unzipped the hood's shutter and revealed my scaled face for the first time unto what I had thought to be a strange new world. While I am far from being an immortal, my natural ability to absorb natural chakra, the regenerative properties of the Uzumaki's bloodline chakra and the unique traits of Orochimaru-sama's genes made my body's endurance and vitality nothing to scoff at either. Though my lifespan may surpassed many centuries of mortal men, that vitality however, came at a hefty expense.

I heard numerous loud gasp as the unsuspecting audiences bespectacled my near, fully form, snake transformation. Those gasp grew even more pronounced when a large white serpent slithered from beneath my robe and arching just above my shoulder, periodically tasting the air with its overly sensitive forked tongue of the ambience atmosphere - filled with a mixture of awe, horror and excremental waste. The latter sourced itself from the summoned animals and even some of the summoners themselves who were in similar state. This greatly caused discomfort within the ranks of the teens as they scattered from the offending smell and sight.

I noticed the elder man approaching with calming caution and gestured me that he meant no harm. Rather than a temper tantrum like the pinkette, the man seemed to be saying something in a gentler manner, supported with some familiar friendly gestures. I nodded solemnly, giving him permission to do what he needed done. The man closed his eyes and began twirling the staff in his hand, chanting something in between whispers as he concentrated a minute amount of natural energy, wait what?! But it seemed that my observation was accurate and mentally noted the strange technique for a later date to be analyse.

I continued to watch the strange spectacle in amazement as this mortal, wielding the natural energy around his staff without difficulty, condensing the ambience energy like water vapours and bending it to his will before it was somehow moulded it into something different. I could see that this man might be attempting to produce a technique that might benefit the situation from the looks in his eyes alone. Although they bore many resemblance towards my own, his seemed much more benign, sympathetic with a mixture of resignation, determination and grief. In a brief second, he redirected the energy towards me as he loudly called out the name of the technique. I suspected it might have been a translation type technique as my mind began to fill with foreign grammar and unfamiliar vocabulary to the brim.

As the technique came undone, the man re-opened his eyes and gave me a tired but gentle smile. I took the cue with a brief nod as I try out my newly bestowed literary skills and decided to 'fuck it'.

"Thank you, for your timely intervention." I emphasized the word 'intervention' with a threatening glare towards the pinkette, who had openly directed her wooden yet miniaturized stick, which I suspected abled to mimic similar effects as the elder man had demonstrated earlier and open fire. No matter how durable my body is, I am still vulnerable to damage and could eventually die from severe hypovolemic and neurogenic shock should their powers equate the destructive force of the sage arts.

"A pleasure to meet you, mister…" the man paused, prompting for a name. Well played. I'll have to play along, for now.

"Kabuto. Yakushi Kabuto, though I can't say I'm thrilled at the moment." I told him rather bluntly. Ask anyone to be yanked off his business and suddenly found themself far away from whatever business the said man was having and I would expect nothing less than a unanimous reply to impale whomsoever was responsible. Although maybe the artefact helped too, but that's for another time.

"Ah, I am sad to hear that, Mister Kabuto. Oh, pardon my rudeness. A nobleman should have introduced himself first before asking others. I am one called Jean Colbert, a professor of this fine establishment that stands before us." he greeted as he pointed towards this so-called 'fine establishment' just further down the path.

My eyes widen in astonishment as I took in every inch of the magnificently monstrous yet finely masoned structure that towered over five similarly constructed towers in an almost pentagonal design – each of them easily towered above 70 feet in height and it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say the centre tower was in excess of at least 150 feet in height. My train of thoughts was abruptly disrupted when the pinkette approached me, trying hard to grab unto the side of my robe which I had readily anticipated.

"I'm already aware of your intention." I turned to face the tiny girl. "Pardon my earlier actions as I did not have the means to properly introduce myself." I said coolly, still taking mental pictures of the strange sight. "I am Yakushi Kabuto, however you may refer to me as Kabuto if you may so wish. What of yours, strawberry-chan?" I asked with a mocking tone, though it went above her head and probably went well beyond.

Well, she is dense enough to be easily manipulated. Perhaps these strange clan's people could provide an alternative for my research. That elderly man was certainly gifted in the Sage's Arts, since he had not shown any signs of meta-morphing at the exposure of natural chakra. Then again, the natural chakra here felt tainted, almost toxic yet I just shrugged it off nonetheless. Whatever the case, the treatment seemed to surprise the pinkette a great deal and ceased her outraged manner in matter of seconds…well, most of it anyway.

"STRAWBERRY?! HOW DAR…Uhh, forget it. I'm not in the right mood anymore. I'll let it go for now, familiar. You would do well to keep in mind to respect your betters. And thus, I approve of your subservience and loyalty to Me." she replied haughtily, gesturing to herself pretentiously. "My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de La Vallière of the Vallière Noble House, not Strawberry~" she accentuated heavily on that last statement, to my amazement, before resuming, "and I expect complete and total obedience from you when serving under my charge." she ended with a haughty smirk.

"My, my, what a proud summoner indeed." I exclaimed calmly, yet all the while bearing my indignant pose, "But under whose authority deemed that I would willingly surrender my independence and become subservience to you?" I retorted dryly without a hint of subjugation to her proclamations.

She raised her brows at the unexpected remark before frowning deeply. "What did you meant by 'surrender'? You are my familiar. I summoned you. Thus, I am to be your rightful master. A familiar would never had any independence to begin with." she accused, seemingly unable to believe that she was arguing about this in the first place. "It is only proper decorum that, I as the Master, hold all rights for my familiar, bearing all of its responsibilities without hesitation or prejudice. In exchange for sustenance and shelter, the familiar shalt become the extension of the master's sight and hearing by default, even possibly retrieve reagents from nature. Under dire condition, the familiar are deemed to sacrifice itself if and only if the survivability of its master demanded such an act while still prioritising the survivability of its own existent." she stomped her foot to emphasize her authority.

"Pardon my interruption, but…" the bald professor apologized and interjected the conversation mid-way while pointing at the pinkette, which seemed to unnerve her just a little bit. "She, Louise de Vallière had summoned you in order to fulfil her obligatory curriculum. Even though you are a…ehem…an eccentric commoner, the records of the Brimir's Holy Summoning Ritual has no such strict rules implied against the type of creature being summoned, and in her case...a human being." he ended with a melancholic tone.

"Hoh~ so human summons or 'familiar' as you assumed, are rare if not non-existent at all in these part of the world?" I begged the question with half a curiosity.

"That is correct, Mr Kabuto." he corrected his glasses as he answered me.

"If so, then what of summoning of souls?" I asked with a straight face. The colours was instantly flushed from the professor's face as he shot me a grievous look.

"Pardon my ignorance Mr Kabuto, for I'm not familiar with the dark arts. Necromancery is widely tabooed across all of Halkegenia and the act of performing such an atrocious deed would not only be considered as high treason against the Crown, but would also be labelled as blasphemy against the very teachings of Brimir." He responded reluctantly. "Wait, what reasons do you bear to query of the art of death? And how did you gained access to such sensitive knowledge?" He demanded sceptically.

Dark arts? Tabooed? So my corpse themed techniques and the impure reincarnation would still be considered as 'kinjutsu' here in this strange land. A shame really.

"And what would be done, if I refused the pact?" I questioned once more, this time, much more haughtily than my last.

**"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'IF YOU REFUSED'?!"** the pinkette exclaimed loudly as she rushed from where she was standing earlier to confront me of my 'unexpected' question.

"Just like how it sounded like, or is your 'fine' establishment didn't even bothered to teach proper linguistic?" I joked sarcastically. **"**W-WHAT? HOW DARE YOU!" she screamed in outrage** "A COMMONER LIKE YOU, DARED TO MOCKED THE HONOR OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS MAGIC ACADEMY IN ALL OF HALKEGENIA! I'LL HAVE HANG FROM WHERE YOU STAND, COMMONER! UNLESS IF YOU WOULD ABIDED TO MY WILL AND ACCEPT THE FAMILIAR CONTRACT!"** she threatened me with life sentence over the fact that I had refused her pact, desperately trying to corner me with an offer of protection if I were to serve under her as this, 'familiar'. The girl got guts, kind of reminded me of a certain gutsy blonde boy, albeit in a more 'undignified' personality. I merely chuckled at the thought. It was then where I could made out movement from the corner of my eyes. I noticed the pinkette's subtle nod as if acknowledging a cue.

"Levitation!" I heard the bald professor spoke aloud.

Then, as if through magic, my once grounded feet was now lifted at least three inches above ground. It felt awkward, strange and alien. It was like the natural ambience energy is stirring madly, transmorphing violently into a whole different energy compound. The by-product of that energy synthesis was surprisingly a miniature gravity well, encapsulating me from the outside world with enough pressure to hinder partial ambulation. My face soured to an unpleasing scowl, hastily formulating a counter plan.

"You never answered my questions, Mr Kabuto. Miss Vallière, I shall hold him for the moment. Use that time to complete the contract with your familiar. He won't be moving around anytime soon." the bald professor ensured her calmly.

"Thank you, Professor Colbert." she beamed at her mentor's aid before resuming her previous endeavour. "My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar," she intoned formally, her expression could only have been surmised as impassive.

I waited patiently, though it not as if I could have done anything else anyway, not with my current situation at least. She then continued to chant some kind of exotic prayer before pointing the stick directly at me. With a grimace, she closed her eyes and leaned in.

'_At my command, attack her with a dummy tackle. Avoid use of fatal force.'_ Acknowledging my telepathized command without question, the white serpent unhesitantly coiled its body as if mimicking a fully loaded spring. I could only grinned with feral glee.

"Devour her whole." At that instanced spoken command, the serpent's impressive maw dislocated from its mandibular joints, stretching its jaws as widely as it could possibly allowed. Pronged with a pair of four inches long hypodermic fangs, each armed with enough venom to kill a parade of elephants.

"Wh...?!" there was no time delay, no reprieve, not even a warning shot. She could all but stood still, awaiting her impending doom. Of course, it was all an act of deception. A mere ruse to instil my capable might before these clan's people, in case if I were to be taken too lightly. She was never in harm's way, except perhaps as a useful sacrifice pawn for if my initial warnings were not plentiful enough. Instead, I found myself strangely elated in the ensuing event.

I was slightly surprised, though I did not show it, at the remarkable skill and precision these clan's people were at with elemental ninjutsu without the use of hand seals. Both the professor and a red headed teen had easily repelled the serpent's advancement with a sudden burst of expanding heat before a hail of ice shards showered my side, freezing the serpent in the process. Two extremely talented fire users, probably around mid to high Jonnin rank and a kekkei genkai user.

"I appreciate your support, Miss Zerbst, Miss Tabitha. Are you hurt, Miss Vallière?" the professor asked grimly. "Did you come into contact with those fangs or felt being sprayed?" To the bald professor's relief, the girl just shook her head meekly.

"Fire element can be many things; a blaze, an inferno, combustion or simply burning like it's no one else's business - in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air to produce heat. Such is the destructive and intangible nature of fire." I began clinically. "I must say, to recklessly conjure an energy barrier created solely from pure flames is unheard of. And I would have not expected an ice kekkei genkai user, perhaps a survivor from the Yuki clan being here of all places." I ended with a lick of my lips.

The bald professor just remained taciturn, donning a stern face. Holding steadfast to his wooden weapon of choice, he began, "While I could ignore the fact that my questions falling on deaf ears, I do not tolerate well towards people who would hurt my precious students." He said rather reverently, counting the event that I nearly devoured one of his 'precious' students. "See to that I will never catch you attempting to harm them again, else I would show you the proper definition of destructive and intangible nature." he threatened vindictively, gritting his teeth as he tightened his grip on the wooden staff, noted by the clear creaking sound.

A few moments passed later, the still jarred teens when out of their stupors as they darted back to the marginal safety behind their professor's protection, remaining incognito throughout the conflict. My train of thoughts ceased as an unnatural breeze descended upon the plane, brought forth like a miniature tidal wave. 'Wind release technique' I surmised, my gaze darted to its source.

"What seems to be the problem here, Jean?" A raspy voice filled the plane as if through a loud speaker. Treading regally in the company of a woman adorned by a brilliant green mane, was an elderly man robbed in black. Bearing looks of wary, his alerted manner belied his years. His subtle facial features, concealed thoroughly by his seemingly overgrowth beard; portrayed that of the old yet wise appearance. The woman seemed unfazed at all as she trotted along with a mindful expression.

"Old Osmond?! Miss Longueville?" the professor exclaimed bewilderedly. "Well, no matter. Excellent timing headmaster, there seems to be a little, predicament regarding one of the summoned familiars."

"That Miss Vallière had conjured a human, yes, I am quite aware of this, all thanks to Miss Longueville's sharp senses." He replied casually. "Mister familiar, please bide a moment for this old wizard to sound his thoughts." I heard the old man voiced out, my own inter-weaving fingers halted in mid-transition. "I would like to apologise on behalf of the Academy's faculty for involving you in this predicament." he said melancholically, "But if possible, I would like you to give Miss Vallière here," he pointed at the pinkette, "a chance to prove herself, a compromised truce if you may. In return, I, as the headmaster of this academy, shall provide standard living accommodation throughout your entire stay here." he ended with a sincere smile that you would have expected from a doting grandfather.

I contemplated my current situation. Thanks to the sudden, unexpected transition, I had only a handful of sealed weapons and items for survival, a few thousand ryo that might not even be acceptable here and clothes limited to the ones on my back. Surviving would be cakewalk for me but it also proves to be too much of a hassle. Moreover, with the lack of proper shelter, rations and knowledge of this land especially after seeing the professor's earlier natural manipulation, precaution would prove vital. I sighed slightly, correcting my glasses as I did so. It would be prudent to play along as the girl's _'familiar' _at the moment. In addition, it seemed that I am stuck here until I could gather more Intel of this land and get an understanding of that strange technique as well as time to research on the artefact. I guessed it would not hurt to stay here for a while. I might need to manipulate some of the staffs here and there to retrieve various items and steal some of this land's currency.

With that, I walked in a steady pace towards the pinkette, she appeared as if she was beholding a mighty serpent and that perhaps had reminded her of her near-devoured situation. She quickly shook her head and stared at her mentors. The bald professor had nearly rushed toward his student if he was not nudged by the greying headmaster. He nodded reluctantly and quietly watched from the side-lines. She was still seated leg apart in both direction and conjoining at both knees with her arms resting behind her, acting as her support as she stared upwards to meet my opposing figure. During this time, I heard she gulped loudly and nervously stared back at me at which I gave her a scrutinised look. My golden tinted slit irises bored into her very soul, looking down on her pathetic excuse of an existence. I will break her, in time. I would perform experiments upon experiments unto this land's denizen and get as much data on their unique powers as possible. Immortality may not be a legend anymore, not once I have discovered its secrets. I will just have to play along with this child.

"Pray tell, what drives you onwards girl?" I sounded quite ambivalent at that, maybe it was due to my last master who went on without reaching his ultimate goal or maybe because it was I who was the one being left behind, I could not say for sure but, "What are your goals? Do you have the will to do what is necessary when the time comes?" I extended my right hand in an effort to help the pinkette off the ground. These were all questions I have asked myself many, many times before, yet somehow when I had told her word for word, I felt that I was the one I am actually directing all the questions at, giving a sense of nostalgia from my early teen days before Orochimaru-sama's arrival. It was merely a rhetorical question, more of a reminder to me than anything else.

She just sat there dumbfoundedly with raised brows and her mouth nearly mimicking that of a goldfish out of water. I could really laugh aloud at her hilarious reaction but now is really not the time as I gave her a mirthless smirk. She realized what she had been doing before promptly turning her head away in embarrassment. She turned back with a mild blush on her cheeks and opened her mouth before stopping herself once more. She was utterly pensive, seemingly deep in thought about what I had told her and her body language says it all. Finally she nodded and accepted my hand. I raised her upwards as I watched her nonchalantly swept the grass and dirt smears off of her stockings and skirt before dusting off her palms.

"T-Thank you…f-familiar." she stuttered, all the blood rushing to her brain and colouring her face beet red that nearly rivalled her hair. Again with the familiar huh? Well no matter, in time, you shall be my puppet. Enjoy your dominance while it last, strawberry-chan.

Her timid voice was nearly inaudible that it was a contradiction to her firm steel glares. Even her body language betrayed her, trembling ever so slightly that only the most perceptive of close friends and family members could ever noticed it. While I wore a bored, toneless expression, my serpentine eyes and crotaline pit was scanning every detail of her physique, picking up various degrees of distressed physiological signs from her accelerated respiration rate, to the slight beating sound of her pacing heartbeat, because her stoic facade could only masked so much before she realized how vulnerable she felt pressured under my gaze; naked. That abrupt thought must have been the reason at her sudden attempt to cover herself up as if she was peeked in the bathroom. I twitched in amusement over the failed yet hilarious bravado attempt as I struggled to suppress a giggle that nearly overthrows me from my own stoic facade before ending up laughing out mildly. After today, things might not seemed as dull as before, surely I would love to sample that sweet wine of suffering that will someday befall upon you, my Mistress.

"W-What are you l-laughing for?!" She retorted as her cheeks nearly exploded from the sudden burst of life fluids rushing to her facial blood vessel, prompting herself to shield her face in embarrassment, allowing only her eyes to peek out of her enclosed face. What surprised me was not her timid yet adorable pose, but those steel cold eyes of hers. What could have happened in the past that might have provoked such dire expression at a tender age? Before I could change my mind, I decided to make a bet of a lifetime. I took in a breath of air before calming myself down, pinning the words in my tongue before it slipped away. I will play along to become her familiar. Even if there is an obedience contract within the clause, I am confident in my capability and intelligent to crack it unnoticed.

"I accept your summoning pact, Lady Louise Francoise de La Vallière, from now onward I, Yakushi Kabuto of the Snake Sage shall become your 'familiar', your dutiful right-hand man, your extended sword and shield, and close comrade, but..." she tensed at that moment as I lip licked from side to side gleefully "Under three conditions."

"Named them." she replied instantly without a hint of hesitation to consider them first. To have accepted it so easily without much thought will one day come back to haunt you in the future, little lady.

"I am to be treated equally as everyone else that schooled here, not as your slave or lowly servant, not as one of the academy's staff and more importantly, not like some common beast. I am to be provided with the basic necessity such as sustenance, and shelter. And finally, I am to be provided with a laboratory for my researches and experiments." I answered incisively.

"Snake Sage?" someone murmured.

"Treated equally? That's blasphemy!" someone else answered back.

"Maybe he's a demi human? That snake wasn't normal!" another student added.

"What uses does he need a laboratory for? Surely a mere familiar does not have the right to demand such luxury?!" came from a blonde girl with curly sides that protested the idea.

"No seriously, those snakes weren't normal…he might be a demi human. Just look at his face!" the same student chimed louder this time.

"That's just baseless assumptions!" someone protested, "He's just an eccentric looking serpent tamer with weird make-up, but a commoner still." he hissed.

The whole courtyard was filled with shocked gasp and also the look of relief from the adults, minus the bald professor, followed by soft susurrus of conversations between the teens. The pinkette was almost in a state of daze, probably ecstatic at the prospect of me accepting her pact. She was obviously nervous as she tried to hold herself in a more dignified fashion by straightening her back, brushed off her slightly dusty hair and turned her head down slightly to avert my gaze.

"I-I thank you for your g-gracious acceptant to become m-my familiar." she seemed a lot more tactful now more than ever and with her still looking down on the ground, I wondered what was running through her mind now. I noticed drops of tears from her blushed cheeks, the ritual must had been something very important in their culture to actually induced such a reaction on her part, so my acceptance must had seen as a godsend for her. She grabbed her black cloak and dried off any remaining tears as she steeled herself for the next step which I unceremoniously interfered earlier.

"My name is Louise Francoise le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar." again she muttered the very same phrase that might seemed like the binding process. I winced slightly at the implications of the binding but I just shrugged it off. She then leaned on closer to me and asked me to lower myself so she could begin. I obliged and took off my hood once again. She shook visibly at my sudden pre-emptive action and stared unto my face, which must had been quite an experience from up close.

I've seen myself in the mirror often. My features were more pale-white, an almost ghostly appearance combined with my scaly complexion. Eyes equipped with a shade of golden, reptilian-like slit irises that appeared serpentine in nature and an elongated ring of bright purple stigmata on both of my eyes while my unkempt ashen-grey hair was on the brink of being silver under the sun's gaze. She then closed her eyes and leaned even further until our lips met and we began exchanging saliva from each other but aside from that, there has been no tongue wriggling or any other 'invading' attempts. A binding contract that requires bodily fluid exchange, fascinating theory. She also must be a virgin kisser, I mused to myself as she winced when her soft yet warm lips parted from mine. She nervously scanned my reaction for any signs of any more homicidal attempt however shrugged after a few moments of idle.

"It seems that the contract was successful. Yakushi Kabuto has at last become your familiar, Miss Vallière." I heard the old headmaster spoke in our general direction, "As of now, we await for the seal of binding to appear, then we can get on with our lives." he ended with a bemused expression which gave him the look of a very tired yet satisfied old man.

"W-what th..." I cringed when I felt a surge of chakra invading into my chakra coils. However the slight pain coming from the burning sensation on the back of my left hand was nothing compared to the pain emitted from my chakra coils as the foreign energy tainted my life flow and threatened to overpower it which might lead to damaging my coils severely. I wailed and wriggled on the ground as the intense pain emerged ever graver and nearly duly my better judgment. I could almost see the fair complexion of my new Mistress's worried face as she tried to bring me back. I vaguely heard the desperate calls from the adults as I frantically analysed my situation and attempted to salvage it. This turn of event was unexpected, one which even caught me off guard, all those years of master-minding schemes and experimentation has turned me dull from the dangers being out in the field. Before I could manage a sound plan, I did what anyone else would have done. I pass out.

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***End of First Chapter***

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**Author's Notes, Ideas, Concepts and Thoughts:**

Although most of it was a re-hash of the first version of my first fanfiction, there had been quite a few errors fixed in this chapter alone. The story will unfold slowly with a decent pace to avoid rushing through scenes. I struggled between the parts of the summoning and the contract because I wanted a believable way for Kabuto to be summoned and to actually accept the contract within reason. After nearly a month of over-thinking, I finally thought of a simple yet brilliant solution…a third party mechanism, in other words, the Myth of the Temporis Spatio Artefact/Mobile Spatial-Temporal Displacement Device. With it, I was able to create a scene where his summoning wasn't normal and was actually due by an outside force, forcing his hands to either fuck it and leave the Academy, dealing with it alone or choose to settle with Louise, giving him access to conveniences like a facility to study the artefact and the magic of Halkegenia. What would be better than an Academy solely for the study of the art itself and also the availability of a laboratory for his research?

The artefact is actually called a time-space relic not because it could cause teleportation or warp through time but because it could transmit waves of interference to manipulate spatial and temporal divergence, like a shift from one dimension to another through manipulation of 'String Theory'…well at least that's the theory. The spatial-temporal interference had caused Kabuto's existence to superimpose over Louise's Familiar Summoning Technique, targeting him in the process. However, remember that it could only cause shifting between dimensions and in extend, time itself.

**Please R&R. **

**Yours Truly; FranKey**

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**Written and arranged by 'FranKey AdeL' (Author)**

**Ideas and Theories by 'Chongie Af' (Theorist)**

**Special Thanks;**

**Art cover of Kabuto and Louise by courtesy of 'Buntaks' (Art Design)**

**Plot quality assured by 'Ark' (Beta reader)**


	3. 2nd Shed

**Second Shed: Spurious Revelation**

**Disclaimer**

**I do not own any of the original source material.**

**The Late Noboru Yamaguchi owns Zero no Tsukaima and all of its characters and contents. **

**May he rest in peace, God bless his soul.**

**Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and all of its characters and contents. **

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**Legends:**

"Sentences within double apostrophe brackets" represents standard speech.

'_Italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets' represents circumstantial monologues._

'_**Bold and italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets**_**' represents flash back instances.**

"**SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS YELLS, SHOUTS & ETC.**

"_**ITALIC SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS V.I SPEECH.**_

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***Story begins***

***Kabuto's POV***

***Academy of Magic? Unknown Room***

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As I slit my eyes opened, a sense of nausea hit me hard as I struggled with the sudden urge to gurgle down my rising gastric juices. I held my head precariously as if it weighted a tonne as it proved to be quite an effort as I sobered myself up. I realized that I was no longer out in the open. Instead I was somewhere inside of a stone-clad room filled with expensive looking wooden furniture, lined with fine pieces of silverware and intricately carved murals and bevels on ceilings, walls and wooden backdrops.

"Whatever the hell happened?" I murmured to myself as I was roused back into reality. I could see there was a small wooden table that was just as luxuriously made as the surrounding room. Topped with a cresset mounted candle, flicking with life that was fuelled by the same natural energy that surrounded this strange land. My gaze instantly landed on the adorable but exhausted petite figure sleeping with her arms cross-over the flat surface of said table, resting her head over it.

"Argh…my frigging head…tsk…fucking migraines." I wailed in agony as I sat on the edge of the queen-sized four-poster bed. The canopy was draped with fine silky white curtains as they gracefully flowed in the calming breeze, sourcing itself from the nearby opened window.

After analysing my own condition, the foreign chakra seemed to have been accepted into my own chakra reserves. To my mild surprise, I was also receiving a seemingly perpetual flow of physical energy, but that was where the good news ends. Upon further inspection, my chakra coils had suffered greatly as they had struggled to ward off the foreign energy away. It seemed the presence of both energies had severely induced a negative effect upon it. Though fortunately not thoroughly crushed and burnt, I sighed at my own tenacity to even survive such a potentially deathly version of tug-of-war, except that both opponents were the energy's representative and the rope were my own chakra coils. It had significantly slowed down compared to when it first entered my circulation system due to my constant regeneration but the fact that it is still under stressed of being ripped apart was quite disheartening, and it hurt like a fucking bitch to boot.

Getting up from bed was the easy part. Standing up after spending quite a while in 'La-La' land was probably not the brightest idea in the world as I had nearly stumbled upon a thin metal basin half-filled to the brim, half-peeking out from the anterior side of the bed. A slightly drenched towel rested on its rim, indicating that someone has been busy swiping sweat off me while I was unconscious. After a short while of self-musing, I heard muffled footsteps coming from the wooden door that separated this room with what I presumed to be the corridors of the dormitories I currently resided in.

As the footsteps intensified, I became more and more anxious as to who might visit at these late hours. Since this was an academy, it might had just been some random students getting back from whatever they were doing, but decided to stand guard regardless. I hurriedly took out my kunai knives from a side-pouch, avoiding using my more specialized melee weapons to reduce straining my already severely damaged chakra coils. Unfortunately, the footsteps had ceased right before the other side of the wooden portal. This is just great. As if getting crippled wasn't bad enough.

I noticed the knob twisting slightly before the door crept opened, precisely at that moment I took an offensive stand and nearly threw the melee projectile before stopping my own hand from completely letting it go. The figure who entered wasn't some would-be assassin or shinobi, but a young girl in her mid-adolescent years with a delicate raven black hair, sporting a rather antiquated black dress and frilly white apron. A maid, huh? I let off a sigh of relief as I hastily hid the offensive metal away before she could recognized what I had attempted to do earlier, reassuring her with a smile.

"Good evening, maid-chan." I began with the scripted ice-breaker, "If you don't mind me asking, were you the one who carried me here and nursed me while I was asleep?" I asked tenderly, my personality shifted drastically to blend into the said situation while the girl greeted with a thin but sincere smile.

"Mister Familiar, it is good to see you finally awoke. Ah, the question, it was Lord Reynald who carried you here and…yes," she paused momentarily, as if piecing together her vocabulary carefully before she answered my question. "I'd nursed you back, though it was just a simple task of cleaning you off your sweat, it was Lady Vallière who took the worst of it as she prayed for your hasty recovery." she expressed soberly, bowing lightly as she did so before she approached me with her left index finger dragging itself along the table's edge before landing it upon the pinkette's nose, prompting a scowl from the slumbering pinkette. The maid chuckled lightly before she turned back to face me.

"The poor girl even claimed that class wasn't important and insisted being beside you at all time." she said as she smiled conservatively. "How are you feeling, Mister Familiar?" she finally asked with a tone of worry in her.

"Don't worry about it. It was just a minor blackout so I should be fine." I shrugged the question off with a waved of my hand, prompting her to cock her head to the side.

"Black...out?" her tone spoke of confusion but quickly shook her head. "Mister familiar, are you sure you are alright? You had been unconscious for the entire evening." she enquired out of concern.

'_Just a few hours huh.'_ I thought. No wonder my chakra coils were still fucked up. If I had been unconscious for maybe two or three days, my regeneration should have kicked in and recovered the majority of my coils since the day of the summoning. At least the brief rest had saved me from the brunt of the initial pain as I tried to suppress the after-effects, even now. I needed to go outside and take in a breather and analyse my situation further as to where in the world am I and what to expect in the coming days. I turned towards the maid clad in black and white and offered her my right hand.

"Thank you for your kind and delicate attention, Miss..." I smiled wryly, while trying to woo her for her name. She blushed slightly from the kind praise and averted her gaze away as she answered me.

"I'm Siesta de Tarbes and I've been charged of being Miss Vallière's temporary maid under the Headmaster's strict orders." she waved at me as if 'thanking her' wasn't necessary at all but I insisted. Finally she relented and reluctantly accepted my gratitude nonetheless. She seemed hesitant at first, almost phobic. Does it have some to do with what happened during the ceremony or was it something else?

"Well then, thank you Miss Siesta for your hospitality, but would you be so kind as to redirect me towards the courtyards below?" I said lightly, careful not to wake the sleeping form of my newly acquired mistress. "I wish for some fresh air and I wouldn't mind the company." I ended with a faint smile, trying my best to hide my pain from her suspicions. The maid did not answer but nodded respectfully. She gestured me to follow her lead as I tracked her into a dimly lit corridor. We went down a few flights of stairwells before I sensed a familiar sensation. I halted the maid as I abruptly held my arm against her chest before slowly managed my index finger towards my lips, gesturing her to remain silent. I slowly crept up the stairs to identify the stalkers before I groped something that was...soft?

"Aaaaahh~" there was a loud moaning permeating the idle corridor with a tang of palpable lust. And at that moment, for the first time since my arrival, I began to sweat bullets. My mind was running at full capacity at trying to decipher the situation but that had resulted with fruitless results.

Instead of a middle-aged maid or servant, a teenage girl of somewhere between Louise's age appeared.

Instead of the formal and appropriate, white button-up blouse that the students here commonly wore, the girl wore a slightly modified version of the uniform deliberately loosed down to her cleavage line. Exhibiting a generous amount of bosom, said teen would had been scandalously perfect to attract the opposite sex populace.

Instead of an arrogant, prissy and up-tight school girl, she appeared to be the persona of sheer sexual lust and seduction reincarnated. With her tanned dark yet sexy skin combined with her fiery-crimson long hair and a bountiful chest that just begged to be fondle. Everything about her was a powerful contrast to my mistress's…err…'lack of physique'. The same redhead who had helped the bald professor to fend me off from before. But what seemed estranged was that look in her eyes. Eyes that felt empty, devoid.

"Pervert." I heard a soft, nearly inaudible voice from the side of the stairs.

As it turns out, the voice came from another tiny-framed girl, almost similar to Louise's stature and sharing a similar lack of physique as the pinkette. Sporting a pair of red-rimmed reading glasses and an almost sky-turquoise shoulder length hair, the girl was barely reaching the redhead's shoulder yet her crooked staff was longer than I am in height, which gives her a very small appearance - which might explained why I nearly missed her. She was also the same kekkei genkai user from before. But before I could even register her presence, I had been graciously labelled a pervert out of nowhere due to a certain groping act with a certain redhead, unknowing of my actions then.

"Ara...sorry bout that missy." I scratched the back of my neck as I shrugged the accusation away casually.

"Eh? Why are you apologising? If anything else, it felt extremely...pleasant~" the redhead girl spoke compassionately. I frowned before I heard the maid and bluette sighed, this is probably not their first time. I wanted to address of her blissfulness but bit my lip instead before levelling my unconcerned gaze again towards the bluette. I've not in the least interested with the redhead, but the other girl seemed off, detached. And what's more, she'd shot me a sharp yet scrutinised gaze.

"Wait, you're Zero's familiar, is it not?" the redhead asked curiously. "You looked different without that hood clouding that enigmatically pale face of yours. The only familiar I know of to actually attack its summoner." She ended with an edge to her voice, focusing on me with narrowed gaze.

I kept myself silenced, that and a 3-feet distant between the redhead harpy before coolly turning around in the opposite direction, giving the maid a slight nod, gesturing her to hastily continue her lead to the courtyard which I had requested earlier.

"Hey, wait a minute! Zero's familiar! Don't you ignore me! HEY! YOU THERE! THE MAID, STOP HIM!" she exclaimed but I ignored her as we continued on our short trip. Apparently she stopped whatever it was she was doing before long. Had the bluette interfered?

My melancholic expression was absence with neither the looks of disdain nor bitter. I noticed the maid had periodically shifted her gaze between what's in front of her and me as I monitored the heat emitted from her body and her pacing heart rate, indicating her well-covered anxiety.

"Please, if you have something occupying your thoughts, I will hear them out for you." I offered her with mild interest.

"Umm…okay. Where are you from, Mister familiar?" she started with a blunt question. "I can tell that from your…distinct complexion and gaits that you are not exactly human and definitely not from around here. Are you some s-sort of magical b-beast in human disguise?" she asked nervously.

I chuckled mirthlessly at the girl's curiosity and deductions. Although inaccurate, she was the first to actually acknowledge me of being non-human which was vaguely true. Although she was also the first and only one to express it openly to me, while those brats in cloaks just shot me those 'commoner' and 'plebeian' terms most of the times. I might as well humour her for the time being.

"You are neither mistaken nor accurate, my dear." I began dryly, earning a slight blush from her at the intimate reference. "I did not originally hail from these lands." I paused briefly as I scanned the horizon "…and while where I came from differ no less from this one, though with the obvious lack of technology, I'm afraid that my land cannot compare to the sheer amount of concentrated natural energy that constitutes the air we're so dependent on at this very moment." I explained as I panned the vast open sky.

"Nor does it have fraternal twin moons orbiting the void sky." I finally ended speculatively. I too, had finally noticed it and confirmed my initial hypothesis. I was a long way from home. "Quite a strange quirk of fate, don't you agree, Miss Siesta?"

The maid was listening intently at my story-telling before pouting at my final sentence.

"Gezz, I maybe a plebeian but I'm far from being stupid." she grumbled with an adorable pouting face.

"Hehe, pardon my callousness, princess." I gave her a mock bow with a slight giggle, earning another abashed look from her.

"Mister Familiar, I…" she began timidly.

"Kabuto." I informed her.

"Huh?" she blinked at me, probably unfamiliar at the foreign term.

"My name." I kindly supplied her again.

"Mister…Kabuto" she seemed confounded after she realized what the term meant, which caused her to quickly advert her gaze to hide her sudden blush.

"I apologise for dragging you out here, my dear." I began as soon as we reached one of the courtyard's fountains.

"Hmhmm…I don't mind at all. I am curious of you after all" she proclaimed it rather unashamedly accompanied with another one of her thin smile, obviously being overly restrained. I don't know if she's a naturally shy girl or have an extremely 'colourful' thought with all those blushing.

"I'm flattered." I replied playfully. "Would you kindly explain to me in concise about the history and ruling structure of this land, Siesta? I'm afraid that my knowledge of this land is severely lacking." I asked her in all seriousness but still kept my polite tone.

The girl seemed surprised at the odd request but complied. Maybe she really hadn't believed that I came from another world beyond this one. But her confused expression had dramatically changed to that of enthusiastic. Given that she'd eagerly story-tells me about a religious figurehead of sorts, '_The Great Founder of Magic; Pentagon of the Five Elements, Brimir'_ and his legendary accomplishments to take over the Holy Lands from the elves, a powerful and prideful race of nature bearing the Firstborn's Sorcery…whatever that is. But what really threw me off was how many years had passed since then. Six frigging thousand years ago.

She explained that 'Halkegenia' was the collective term of all four Brimic nations and a single non- Brimic nation that's governed by the 'brutish' and uncivilised Germanians. She struggled as she tried to explain the current magic system that derived from the founder's fifth and lost art of the void element. I'd noticed that she steered clear of that particular topic, noting that she doesn't know much of the magical theories but only the most very basic from her numerous eavesdrops on lectures.

There were numerous political strife within the Albionese, Gallian and even the Tristanian Royal Family that she'd explained as best she could but didn't quite filled my criteria. She's just not knowledgeable enough to cater extensive detail or state vital pieces like the names of public figureheads, general economics and etc. I sighed in defeat.

'_Okay, that obviously didn't went as planned'_ I thought inwardly, frustration clearly obvious on my expression. Then I pursued a different topic, that of my summoner, Louise Vallière. She perked as I mentioned her name, informing me of my mistress's lineage as one of the wealthiest, most influential and powerful yet benignant family beneath the royal families - currently ranked first in all of Halkegenia. In addition to their lofty status, the House of Vallière had managed to produce numerous prodigies and significant mages over the last few centuries.

Her perkiness gradually loses momentum when I specifically requested to know of the person herself, of Louise. "Louise is…an exception" as she personally puts it. She seemed to always fail her attempted 'spells', and inasmuch of that fact, she'd became a sort of 'black sheep of the flock', continuously ridiculed with verbal torture and scorned indefinitely as _'Louise, The Zero'_ due to her incapacity. I was intrigued by the revelation myself. The puppet has already been exposed to wear and tear over time, which explained her abrasive attitude during the summoning ceremony. It'll take all but a light push to have her over the edge. It was also too painfully facile to fool the maid. Everything was taken at face-value – such naïveté would prove to be cheap recruit, a resource which would come in handy someday.

The maid had realized that she'd spent nearly the entire night, or morning with me as she'd politely excused herself. I gave her a brief nod, indicating her to take her leave in peace. I was pensive for a minute long as I recollected everything I deduced from my own analytical observation and from what Siesta had told me, committing them indiscriminately to memory. As I stared at the mesmerizing penumbra in the distant horizon, I noticed that dawn was slowly approaching, indicated by the radiated warmth of the sun in the slightly cold air as I sensed them through my serpentine sense. But there would still a few hours of darkness before dawn actually came. Maybe I should get some more shuteye, best recover my strength before it start acting up trouble.

I recalled the maid had mentioned something about my Mistress's recent class habits, that she had skipped it for a chance to nurse me back to health. Then again, the thought of that tiny girl man-handling my unconscious state would be ridiculous and dare I think of it, hilarious, but merely gulped at the prospect to save face. Maybe I should wake her up for class after dawn, it wouldn't do to act in suspicion after all.

With that direction in mind, I took off the moment I got up and went back to the pinkette's room, which technically would be my room as well. When I arrived, I was mildly amused to find that Strawberry-chan had somehow awoken from her peaceful slumber and taken the liberty to shift to the nearest, most comfortable place in the entirety of the room, the bed. I also noticed the metal basin from before was on the edge of the room, its liquid innards splattered and the basin itself was partially dented, possibly a kick from an enraged pinkette I would assumed. I was even more intrigued to find that she could think far ahead to sense my lack of presence, let alone to be enraged by it, even after waking up from deep slumber.

"Sleep dream, Strawberry-chan. Enjoy them while they last, for peace is a luxury with a bloody price." I gently stroked my fingers through her disentangled hair and lightly pinched her nose.

Her face scowled maliciously from the unfamiliar contact but continued her slumber with a woeful expression. She was incredibly adorable in her sleep, almost cherubic. A far cry from the noisy, steel-cold gaze from who knows where she picked up from and that prissy, uptight attitude I've seen coming from her. I took in a last bit of her angelic face before retiring unto my own makeshift headrest. I could still feel her warmth from where she slept, with a few traces of drool on the surface. I hastily wiped it off with my sleeve and ungracefully fell like a log.

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*** Scene Break***

***Louise's POV***

***Tristain's Academy of Magic: My Room***

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I awoke albeit begrudgingly accompanied with a wave of giddiness as my mind came into clarity, stroking upon my heavy eye lids to wash away past traces of lethargies. I realized instantly that the abrupt wakeup call was anything but natural as I felt a gentle nudge on one of my temples. Getting up at predawn every morning has been a nightmare for me ever since I'd enrolled into this academy. It was only miraculous I've never been caught tardy or _Dear Founder_ what mother would've done if news of a Vallière skipping classes ever reached the Vallière mansion's doorsteps. Then again, the reason for most of it was eternally indebted to that damnable cow udder-ed Zerbst, thanks to her loudly ecstatic and uproarious morning _urges_. But I hadn't heard anything fishy…yet, but I was doubtful to think I'd awoken under my own will.

"Wake up princess~" I was stupefied to say the least…when all of a sudden, a creepy singsong melodic wakeup call put me into high alert. Few things in life had ever fazed me that could equated to mother, even fewer against her fury…but judging from the ghostly pale-white male complexion that had greeted me with nothing more than half a dozen snakelettes writhing out from his sleeves had done just quite that. Dreadfully yet, he had it right in front of my frigging face.

"**Eeeepp…!"** I cringed horridly at the appalled sight, smacking his arm as far away in an effort to rid myself from the squirming mass of disgusting…"**FAMILIAR!"**

I took hold of the only thing that shielded me from that damnable familiar, though my silk blanket did little to naught of effectively barricading between myself and from whatever was on its other side. "Snakes." that was all I need to know that this little stunt was probably his doing. I lowered the temporary silky barrier only to be caught off guard as I witnessed his nearly six-foot frame shook with mirth before he noticed my exposure.

"Good morning, young lady." he bowed with a wide maniacal grin as he paced towards the door.

"**HEY! W-Where do you think you're going huh?!"** I demanded loudly.

"Out~" he said flatly.

"**Get back here you…you…you!**" I was on a warpath to sternly reprimand him of his unruly behaviour but was effectively cut-off.

"Snakes got your tongue, Strawberry-chan~?" he said as he shot me a whimsical smirk as he laughed it off. _'Again with the disrespectful nicknames? Just how arrogant can this 'thing' gets.' _I wondered inwardly, gritting my teeth as I did so.

I can't get through his thoughts at all. Had he originate from beyond the Holy Land, beyond the Rub 'al Khali desert? Is he an animal tamer of some sort…his control over that serpent was uncanny and unnaturally impeccable, as if like a familiar. My mind was perplexed by this enigmatic figure. Before, he had refused the pact and nearly murdered me by the used of his tamed serpent and just out of the blue, he accepted it as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Arrrghh!"I was on the verged of single handedly balding myself as I pulled my disentangled hair in frustration. I calmed myself before ending myself as the first noble woman to go bald over something as trivial as a familiar.

"Yakku-shee Kah-butto, just who…what are you?" I enquired him as the strange word rolled off my tongue. It wasn't a much of a rhetorical question but sincere curiosity. It was the best effort I could muster at trying to piece up rudimentary vocabulary and asked those simple phrases, hoping for the enigma to answer honestly. He frowned slightly at the blunt question. Had I offended him?

"Would you at least get up from bed and get cleaned up first before discussing on another's personal matters?" he said with a bit less enthuse.

He walked back towards a wooden table and chair and sat quietly. He'd gestured me to do what he'd suggested but no self-respecting noble would take suggestions from a mere plebeian seriously, what more to say of a familiar. A noble is always superior to a plebeian, even one as exotic as him, however he does have a point. So with a push, I got out of the bed and walked towards another dresser, albeit this one was mainly designed to bear a hole on the bottom for water to flow down to a collector. It was loaded with few of my personal perfumes, a hair brush, nail clippers and an enclosed wooden pail. I promptly opened the cover and rinsed my face with the fresh water supplied by the academy. I noticed at my utterly dishevelled appearance from a quick glance at a nearby mirror but dismissed it as no one but my familiar was around.

"Bring me my clothes, familiar." I spoke with mild authority. "Any regular uniform would do fine but avoid ones without a sleeve cuffs." I ended with a small smile as I peeked out the window. The breeze was cool and relaxing as they mixed with the lucid warm blue sky serving as a fitting contrast of predawn. As my mind detached from reality, I recollected my memories, of how the student body was terrifically shocked of my familiar's unforeseen character. Though considered a plebeian, he was unique, an animal handler, an impeccable snake tamer one at that. It might not be so bad to have a plebeian as a familiar. At least it can understand more complex orders, act and perform jobs design for humans whereas an animal could only dream of. Can't go looking for a gift horse in the mouth I supposed.

I waited for a few minutes before turning my attention back towards him. Surprisingly, he hadn't obliged. He continued to sit there as if dumbfounded over something. Did he missed what I said perhaps?

"Familiar?" I figured maybe he's still new to the business, though re-educating him would demand time and effort, both of which is something of a luxury that I do not own cheaply.

"I'm not your common servant, Strawberry-chan." he retorted in mild indignant.

I wanted to protest at his indignation, something about nobles being superior to plebeian and how nobles should never dress themselves in the present of a servant, but quickly bit my lip at the thought. This was the same enigma who'd tried to refuse my summoning pact, who tried to kill me off for forcing it on him and miraculously accepting the contract in the end. I cursed inwardly for being so helpless, even before my own familiar but kept silent regardless.

"Then I wouldn't feed you breakfast. And stop calling me by your own brands of nicknames!" I snarled at him, my tone contemptuous.

"Compromise accepted, though I'll still going to call you Strawberry-chan." he retort apathetically, waving airily with a thin smirk at the casual threat. Oh Founder! I would love nothing more than to blow him up, but reconsidered it was childish and counterproductive anyway.

"Fine!" I relented, my voice filled with annoyance.

He'd told me to get dressed and met him down in the hallway, saying that he wanted to discuss something related to the Springtime Familiar Summoning ritual. I raised my brows at the abrupt request but earned a haughty smirk from the strange snake tamer instead. He retreated to the doorway and bowed slightly as he exited the room. _'What does he intend to figure out of the ritual and why?'_ I mused contemplatively as I put on a freshly steamed set of clothes. I must ask of him of his origin before the summoning ceremony, and that serpent he kept inside of his robes.

I calmly exited my room. With a quick tug of the key, the locking mechanism kicked in and secured the room - though such things were nothing more than mere prevention for would-be plebeian thief to indulge himself with her possessions. After a few flights of stairs, I came towards my rendezvous point with my familiar before I caught him sharing pleasantries with a maid, or so I presumed. The hallway they were on seemed vacant so maybe I should humour them for a little bit.

"That's just impossible, Mister Kabuto. Only nobles can wield magic. It does not only act as a fact, but as law by the holy church of Brimir." the maid protested with both her hands gestured out to emphasize her cause. '_Well of course, that's why there's a strict social gap between nobles and plebeians.' _I decided to add inwardly.

"I do not appreciate that kind of sentimentality, Siesta." I heard him calling her name with a tad of disapproval in his tone. "While there are some real truth out there…does not mean everything else is. Nothing is truly true in this world."

"If there's no truth, then how, we of the common people regard what is true and what isn't?" she redirected his words in an attempt to throw him off, I suppose it was kind of clever. My familiar had contradicted himself and the maid did had a point on that. A simple yet brilliant reply. I wanted to hear more on how my familiar would counter that and thus kept hidden behind the edge of the corner.

"Preconception. Your mind set, Siesta. Whenever a fact is preconceived, it could be bogus or the truth entirely. But even if ninety percent of all the world believed and clung to it, that leaves another ten percent who don't and may substitute it with their own brand of truths and facts. Remember, lies can be masked as truth effortlessly. So I asked you now, if you were presented a chance for power like magic, would you cling yourself to that preconceived idea of only nobles could use magic and toil for the rest of your miserable life or would you believe in yourself and preconceive another fact…one that even the common could wield magic." He laid out both his arm gesturing her to pick a choice. "Six thousand years of out-dated and stagnant ruling structure and society based upon inequality, extreme prejudice and ignorance," he paused slightly as he overlapped both his palms and pressed them together "or something different?" he ended with a quizzical tone.

The maid was squirming over the fact, trying to appease him. Better not let things get out of hand. I waited for a good minute before coming out from my eavesdropping spot, walking in stride with an overly pretentious gait. The maid winced exaggeratedly while my familiar hadn't even batted an eye. Again I cursed him of his strict composure.

"Thank you for your delightful company Siesta, I shall take my leave with my mistress now." he said gracefully as he stepped back towards my side.

I gave him a sly look but let it slide, at least for now. I gave a brief nod to the maid, gesturing her to leave us so she could continue with her morning duties. She respectfully bowed and took off. That left just me and my familiar. As soon as we walked into the main hallway, the obvious crowdedness showed itself with the morning hassle of the servants, faculty staffs and students of the academy swarming into the main dining hall, The Alviss Hall. As we walked obliviously in the midst of the hustling morning activities, I cocked my head to face him only to be greeted with a grievous look painted on his expression. Is he troubled over something?

"Mind sharing a piece of your thought, familiar?" I began with mild curiosity, pinning his full attention on me.

"It's nothing really." he answered dryly, his forlorn expression softened. "But I'd never expected that you were the type who would actually eavesdrop on my conversations, however…" I winced slightly at the accusation, but kept silent as I turned towards the floor with a mild blush, he paused briefly as he stopped in the middle of the busy hallway, gaining slight glares from the surrounding students which both my familiar and I ignored.

"However what, familiar?" I asked anxiously as I interjected to maintain the conversation running, hoping to keep that last embarrassing titbit from re-emerging.

"Do you have friends, Strawberry-chan?" he directed the blunt question with soft voice as not to be heard from the crowding passer-by.

"…hmph…what friends…" I whispered that last part rhetorically.

"Pardon?" he enquired. But I moved on without a care.

Somehow that word made me feel detached from everything that's real to me. It is one thing to be counted and given compassion from a family member but apart from the Viscount, the term 'friends' were merely illusionary connections between children of significant families and nothing more. And to add fuel to the fire, Viscount Wardes himself had been made my fiancé as a means of in-between familial solidification by my parents. I was pensive along the way to the dining hall. The familiar keeping silent all the while as well, which I was grateful for. As we came through the doorway, we received a magnitude of glares that varied from looks of curiosity to out-right peeved. I ignored most of the unwelcoming glares but my familiar did something I never would have expected coming from him.

"My, my, I'm sure that my knowledge of these backwater lands are severely lacking, but is it not rude to stare at others, young lady? Surely this is not the norm of how a noble's clan should greet in the morning?" he inquired sardonically as he glared them back, even to go as far as to speak his thought aloud for all to hear. But the most unexpected part was his reference to me. _'Young Lady, huh? I can live with that.' _I thought inwardly, ignoring the incoming glares shot by her peers. The whole 'backwater' remark got them even more agitated as I too felt slightly stung by it, but proceeded to my meals like always.

I wondered on his odd choice of term for the social standing of nobility such as calling it a _'clan'_. Maybe it was how things were done back at his hometown perhaps. I giggled slightly at his sarcastic comments though and took it as a defensive act for my sake, of course I didn't show it publicly but I'm grateful nonetheless. Maybe I should retract the _'no breakfast' _punishment from earlier.

"So what's the objective, young lady?" he demanded politely. So he would act his position in the face of others? Perhaps to reduce enmity towards himself, a wise thought.

"This is the Alviss Dining Hall, where all meals are prepared for the nobles studying here. Familiars aren't even allowed in here but I've requested special permission for you to accompany me. You should feel yourself lucky." I told him dryly. Though, I swear to Brimir that he just snorted in contempt. _'I'll flush that rude behaviour out of you soon enough, you dog' _I told myself inwardly.

Surprisingly, he managed to act the role as he escorted me to an empty seat, pulled it out and gestured for me to sit. So he knows the etiquette of dining too, perhaps he was a servant before the summoning as well? Maybe he's one of those 'Beast Jester' I've heard so much about from beyond Rub 'al Khali, but noting it as irrelevant anyway. I proceeded with a fork and knife in both hands and gestured my familiar to take a sit, under the table. A simple, worn plate. On it, a single piece of stalled looking bread occupied its flat ceramic surface. I wasn't sure of his preferences, but that would do for now. Well, it could serve as a food for thought later on as I feast on the hearty meal, before I was interrupted of my eager eating spree. I felt a not-so-gentle grip on my shoulder as I turned to meet the offensive gesture, accompanied by my best glare. I was frozen at his more intense glare, tightening his grip on my shoulder nearly to breaking point. I tried to fend off the opposing hand but failed as he gripped my other shoulder and we glared each other face to face.

"Ney, Strawberry-chan, I may have not been hungry, but the thought of being treated like a pet is starting to grate my patience. I initially ignored the pile of haystack, knowing you expected a beast of some sort, but this?" his tone dry, his expression was dire as he addressed me with that blasted nickname again, and what's more, he said it in front of everyone. My thoughts were pacing at near wind dragon's speed as my train of thoughts was interrupted as he lets go of his bone-cracking grip. I was panting slowly as to recover my thoughts and dulled the slowly creeping pain on my sore shoulders. But before that, the familiar took a full panoramic view of the surrounding hall before directing his attention back at me. I could feel my heart racing once more just like during the summoning ritual, only this time I was much more reserved than before.

"What's the matter with you familiar?! Am I not generous enough that I decided to feed you after what you said this morning?!" I cried out with dispassionate tone.

"Hey Zero, keep your dog under a tight leach would you?! It's so ineloquent for a familiar to bark back at its master especially on the table, or maybe you're the familiar one here!" one of the gathered students yelled dramatically before laughing out loud without restraint.

"Yeah! I know you were a Zero in anything magic, but this is too much." another joined the fray. Again and again, more would join the parade of insults. I kept it bottled up inside, refusing to break down before them and showing weakness, following the very essence of the _'Rule of Steel'_ down to the textbook. But then I froze.

His white serpent slithered out of the bottom of his robe which unnerved me greatly but firmly stood still as I continued my death glare at him. The said serpent slithered towards the plate of bread before throwing it into the nearby wall, utterly destroying the ceramic plate and surprisingly made a wide gashed crack on the wall where the impact had happened. This got the attention of everyone in the room and servants as they watched with shocked and awe. I was appalled by the act but kept silent nonetheless as to resolve this diplomatically.

"What is your problem, familiar?!" I had asked the most prominent question that pops into my head at the moment, and it seemed to be timely executed as he opened his mouth to retort. I was trying to supress my embarrassment as I was unable to control my familiar from acting up especially after being reprimanded by my own peers a few seconds ago. I would be sure to give him a word of '_advice_' later on.

"…everyone's attitude…" he answered dryly. I couldn't make sense of his reason but entertained it to extract the truth further.

"…attitude…? Would you mind explaining that vague reason?" I asked curiously.

"An explanation would only be wasted upon you and your ilk." he waved with a bored expression before turning around, slowly walking towards the exit.

I felt slightly offended as I tightened my balled fist at the callous comment but refrained from acting further. I was helpless with my current state, unable to summon even the simplest of spells but explosions. Then inspiration hit me, my failed attempt usually accompanied by a wave of non-lethal explosions! Maybe I could restrain him with a warning shot and perhaps even hold him on a leash, sort of. I would never have to resort to this if the Vallière's name wasn't at stake but compromised for the greater benefit.

Without hesitation, I released the custom holster which secured my wand and took aim at my familiar. I had never purposely experimented my magic on live targets and I might bear several repercussions as a result of this act but if this succeeds, it would stop the degrading glares shot at me by my peers at the moment. With a slight tingling that almost always followed by when a spell is casted, the general area which my familiar stood on was thoroughly decimated by the sheer raw power of my explosion. I could hear gasped of shocked from the student body, maybe mostly at the idea of a failure mage of '_Vallière' _casting an explosion on her disobedience familiar. '_Maybe my failures did have its benefit after all.' _I thought inwardly.

I stood there triumphantly as I slowly crept to the destructed scene, smirking haughtily as I began formulating foreseeable punishable options if similar _'accidents' _were to happen again. As I got neared to the destructed scene, imagined my surprised when the crater formed by the concussive force of the former explosion revealed absolutely nothing at all but numerous debris of wood scattered around. I sweat profusely at the thought of accidentally killing my familiar with _'magic' _or at least the by-product of its failing execution.

"No way, it can't be." I murmured silently, my tone remorseful.

I would have expected he would get knocked out or maybe bleed a little at worst case scenario, but to exterminate him, in public no less, that had drained all the blood from my face. That was when I felt a sharp thin edge resting gently across my bare neck. My eyes widen as I realized that a triangular knife-like object was threatening to slit my throat even if I move an inch. Even with all my muscles cramped due to the sheer terror that I felt at that moment, I could still feel a slightly warm stream of vital fluid escaping from the cold, slightly painful contact. I hid all traces of fear, holding back the tears before it even began to soak my paled cheeks. Mustering every ounce of fortitude I could to take back control over my body's trembling state.

"R-Release Lady Vallière a-at o-once!" I heard someone intervened, yet the stuttering had not manage to quell my anxiety at all, considering the dire situation.

"Back away from her, plebeian!" I heard another student voicing their thoughts over my situation. Although I was failure of a mage, I was still a noble. And a plebeian threatening a noble would inevitably force them to take strict action on such heretic and blasphemous act.

Again and again, more would rise to take support on the noble against the plebeian as the riot began spreading like wildfire. That was when I felt the sharp object lifted from my tender throat. I quickly gained distant - away from my familiar as he just stood there, motionless. Of course he would be terribly shaken over the fact that almost every noble presence had expressed their rather volatile course of action, but instead of a broken down familiar, he actually grinned back.

"HAHAHAHAHA! It seemed that these brats had interest to ensure your safety, young lady. Or maybe it wasn't you they were thinking trying to protect, but their own hide." he laughed almost maniacally. "I apologise." he said half-heartedly as he wiped his left eye as if he'd teared at all. He soon adopted a weird act of pressing against his glasses at the bridge of it and the outer rims of the spectacles themselves. With it, his expression remained stoic and void of emotion as if masked by a thin veil of illusions.

"Don't give me that 'innocent' façade, you dog!" I hissed at him, my tone brimmed with irritation. He hardly flinched at the accusation, not since for the first time I had met him even, but his hood covered his face too well. I was already prepared for another anger-filled retort.

But the said familiar was unsettlingly pensive. I wondered what could had gone through his mind right now. Would he be riddled with anxiety of being painfully reminded why the nobles were above the plebeians? Was it fear of getting hit by my even more devastating explosions? Or was he just feigning ignorance and hoped for the storm to past by, I could not guess. But no matter what he did, he was my familiar and thus my next move on the chess board.

"Please everyone, hold your wands! None would deal a single blow unless you wish to incur the Vallière's ire!" I sighed in relief as most of the student had stopped their incantation mid-sentence and lowered their wands in respond. I would never have expected for me to make a casual threat through my linage but this was one of those 'drastic situation calls for drastic measures' kind of thing that mother used to say.

"I appreciate your sympathy though it was uncalled for." I strained my neck to get a full view of his hunched posture. Must he appear himself to be meek now of all time after all that theatrics? He supposed to be my wise, beautiful and strong familiar for crying out loud, even if he had nearly killed me, twice!

"I had intervened not out of sympathy, familiar, but out of duty." I shot at him with a malicious leer. "Surely you must have a reason to casually threaten me with a piece of sharpened metal on my throat now, would you?" I asked him with a sardonic voice filling every syllables.

He'd taken off his spectacles then calmly fogged the lens before momentarily wiping it off with his robe and reapplying it on himself. It wasn't any more lucid than it was before, but his expression turned dire; a grave, sharp look.

"Do you remember our mutualistic agreement, Mistress Louise Françoise LeBlanc de la Vallière?" he hissed at me indignantly. But it was his combination of sudden regal tone, my full name and his dire expression that made me shaking underneath.

"To be treated as an equal." I deadpanned as I quietly muttered those words, trying very hard not to hit my head for omitting that the one and only thing holding this relationship together. But I can't stop here. And precise, he was already under my brand. Those runes symbolized his loyalty to me and trust above all else. But I need to play my cards right if I want to get his good side to work for me but still remain above him. Maybe I'll play his mind games for a while, to treat him as a human being, but no more.

He nodded approvingly as he continued to scan the already growing numbers of gathering young nobles. "Though I'd ignored most of your forgetfulness as it was mostly trivial, that wasn't the main reason either, not consciously at least." he paused briefly to hid his odd triangular knifes and resumes his bored stance. Really, this damnable familiar could really be my downfall one day as I measured myself from bursting in rage at his disrespectfulness, even at the presence of numerous others.

"…but it was just habitual reflex from durin…" Before he could utter another word, a certain young blonde noble cut him off.

"**ENOUGH!**" the blonde exclaimed loudly. I was in the innermost of the circling flock, stiffened as I was with everyone else when I'd heard Guiche's sudden clamorous outcry, his tone spoke of murderous intent. He walked out from the crowd, parading down halfway towards the snake tamer before he pointed his rose wand at him.

'_You've got to be kidding me!' _I cringed inwardly. Surely the Founder had a strange fetish for my already bane-infested existence.

"I shall no longer tolerate such affront from a mere plebeian, what more to say from a lowly familiar." he roared, his appearance contrasted his manner. The blonde's coquet mannerism just wasn't presence anymore, leaving the impression of a freshly conditioned soldier; the son of Gramont.

"Oh, so what kid? Do I have to lick your boots or something, Blondie?" he retorted flippantly. That earned him even more seething glares from the crowd.

"We shall duel, familiar. As such, I'd pledged the honour of nobility, namely mine, against yours." I heard him gritting his teeth even from this distance. Surely he'd taken those insults severely. To duel in the name of honour had the highest regard in the code of nobility, since all nobles would want to gain name while disgracing others, it was perfect. Perfect for Guiche anyway. I needed to stop him before others would rally behind him.

"And what if I refuse?" the snake tamer replied dryly. I almost couldn't believe that he would have the gall to even talk back towards nobles, much less reject the proposition from Guiche who was also the forth son of General De Gramont. That was twice now he'd done that, it's almost becoming more irritating than insulting.

"Wait, Guiche de Gramont!" he didn't even bother to strain his neck to face me, in fact he didn't do anything at all. But I knew he was listening intently to my cold steel tone; "Duels are pro…" I was suddenly cut off by his unexpected retort.

"Prohibited, is that it?" he mumbled softly, as if he was calm and acting all flamboyant again. I could've been tricked if not for his stiff posture and gradually levelling his rose wand towards the snake tamer. "Prohibition of duels are subjected only to nobles according to the statutes of the academy, not plebeians, Miss Vallière." He ended monotonously. "But it may seem that your familiar is too much of a coward to even defend his honour and accept the duel, suited for a lowly dog that he is. Although even without the duel, he won't escape this predicament unscathed. He is after all…a DOG."

But that conversation quickly ended with a loud, maniacal laugh coming from the snake tamer which caused us to flinch slightly. The man was laughing so hard, he was practically hunching backwards in an arc and his limbs out-stretched limply. _**"DON'T YOU DARE TAKE IT BACK NOW, KID, CAUSE I'LL BE SHOVING BACK THOSE ARROGANT WORDS DOWN YOUR THROAT!"**_

Before long, a blonde teenage girl stepped out to accompany her lover. "Montmorency…" I could barely muttered her name as more and more nobles took out their wands as they took a stance against my familiar side by side. By the end of it, the whole crowd had conjoined on the couple's fate. There would be no forgiveness after all this; no mercy; no remorse. My familiar after all, had mocked nobility in their presence. It was my fault, my pride that had led it here. I shouldn't have made him as my primary stress outlet like that. But it's too late now.

As rose petals flung from Guiche's wand touched the marble floor, nearby vicinity was consumed by a bright light, followed by a chain of loud thumbs as if it was choreographed. In its epicentre of erupted marble, stone, dirt and mud, stood six partially bronze figures with a mix-mashed of marble stone, fashioned to be simple and practical. None was the usual curvature of female lines that almost always signified his creations, only raw practicality. Each of the six bronze figures had specific weapons. Three of them wielded simple twin-headed halberds for a quick and successive wide area sweep attacks, another two wielded a non-decorated, double-handed and twin edged broadswords. The last had very thin frames with very little armour plating on it, almost as if emphasized on being as light as possible. Adorned in simple armour, it had very thin yet strangely long bipedal hind limbs, equipped with a simple unadorned, single-handed and double-edged long sword. Yet in its inelegant, hid a hidden, deathly potential as it stood motionless in the middle of the pack.

"_**CHARGE!**_" Guiche let out a screeching war-cry.

In my moment of wallowing over self-accusation, Guiche had taken the pre-emptive strike with his Valkyries and went even as far as to ignore giving proper introduction and venue of the duel. Instead he had transmuted his creations within the dining hall itself and had not even cared to proclaim his runic name, ironic when considering that he proposed this duel under the name of nobility and honour. This is his serious side, a side none had bear witness before. I shuddered at the thought.

This was a noble-borne prodigious tactician from a prestigious and well-known military lineage, gifted at earth-marionette magic.

This 'IS' Guiche de Gramont; Guiche of The Bronze.

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***End of Chapter***

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**Author's Notes, Ideas, Concepts and Thoughts: **

There, another chapter completed. Hope the setting isn't too confusing. It took me the better part of a week to write, edit and re-write it again. The next chapter will be the fighting scenes between Kabuto and Guiche. I'll be frank, I'm a beginner in writing any form of literature. As a matter of fact, this is my very first time to write one of such scale. The last time I remembered was during high school, which was over 5 years ago – and English isn't even my native language, in fact mandarin is more often used than the former and even mandarin isn't my native language…go figure~ So don't expect any ground-breaking composition.

In the initial chapters, the main hero is Kabuto and main heroine is, of course, Louise. However, in the next coming chapters, I'll introduce a second heroine, though it's not really a surprise for some…it's Siesta de Tarbes. I have a very special development for her, you can consider her like a reincarnated Saito Hiraga and 'NO', it's not a spoiler for the plot, just trust me.

Next would be the part of Kabuto threatening Louise with a kunai. Honestly, he's a veteran ninja who had dedicated his life down a path littered with danger and death. A little instinct and reflex such as the 'Narikawari no Jutsu' or just Substitution Technique would be natural, especially with Louise's 'Explosion' technique. Just so anyone wouldn't be confused as to why he would suddenly reappear behind Louise with a kunai ready to slit her throat open.

Another note would be Kabuto's demeanour. His 'personality' would periodically shift from one to another depending on the situation. I made three mode so not to confuse myself and you, the reader as well. The 1st would be 'Default mode', a mode where he's being mostly sardonic as well as polite at the same time, portrayed mostly like in the original manga/anime. He mostly uses this mode with Louise and others who he's willing to show his real stripes with such as Siesta and few others which will be shown later on. The 2nd is his 'Diplomatic mode', a mode where he is mostly polite and 'SEEMS' mostly subversive, uses it on people like Professor Colbert, Old Osmond and Miss Longueville. The reason for this is because as an ex-spy and veteran ninja, he will have to deceive, manipulate and control the pace of any situation while negating any rise in enmity. Scene like this could be found during his few conversation with the ex-sannin, Orochimaru and also during his preliminary negotiations of the 4th Great Ninja War with the current Jinchuriki of the Juubi, Uchiha Obito. The 3rd would be his 'Sadistic mode'. This mode is more circumstantial than the first two and would only erupt when he's pushed to the limit or forced to submission, so it'll be rarely used. This mode could be seen during one of his battle with Tsunade during the early chapters of the story where his eyes were bloodshot and grinning in feral-like ways. His personality here would invoke his latent sadistic nature, making him more aggressive and most likely to fight through attrition.

**Please R&R. **

**Yours Truly; FranKey**

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**Written and arranged by 'FranKey AdeL' (Author)**

**Ideas and Theories by 'Chongie Af' (Theorist)**

**Special Thanks;**

**Beautiful art cover of Kabuto and Louise by courtesy of 'Buntaks' (Art Design)**

**Plot quality assured by 'Ark' (Beta reader)**


	4. 3rd Shed

**Third Shed: Act of Tactical Attrition**

**Disclaimer**

**I do not own any of the original source material.**

**The Late Noboru Yamaguchi owns Zero no Tsukaima and all of its characters and contents. **

**May he rest in peace, God bless his soul.**

**Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and all of its characters and contents. **

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**Legends:**

"Sentences within double apostrophe brackets" represents standard speech.

'_Italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets' represents circumstantial monologues._

'_**Bold and italic sentences within single apostrophe brackets**_**' represents flash back instances.**

"**SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS YELLS, SHOUTS & ETC.**

"_**ITALIC SENTENCES WITH CAPITAL ALPHABETS" REPRESENTS V.I SPEECH.**_

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***Story begins***

***Kabuto's POV***

***Academy of Magic: Alviss Hall***

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"_**CHARGE!**_"

I vaguely heard the blonde's out-cry, intoxicated as I was with curiosity. Such an odd technique. Unorthodox, yet brilliantly sound. As improbable as it was, the boy had somehow focused his chakra and infused them through the rose's stalk. I had a preconceived notion that the boy had somehow circumvented them through the natural microscopic pores found throughout the peculiar looking appendage. I assumed these 'magic' techniques made use of these appendages as some form of proxy of sort, almost akin to hand-seals to perform ninjutsu, I presumed. So if I disable those proxies, would it dispel the technique as well? Only one way to find out.

My mind was already revving at high gear, tactically analysing the most efficient method to subdue the enraged mage and simultaneously prolonging it in an attempt to gather as much data from the duel as possible. The halberd wielding puppets dashed forward, its tip solely focused wherein my abdomen and limbs lie – slow. The reaction was instantaneous as I monitored them from afar. To the trained eye, those constructs were comparable to a slug through mud. Within a split second, two of the constructs separated left and right respectively into a pincer attack formation while the middle one stayed put, which had set enough alarms to force me to go on the defensive and rely on counter strikes.

"I will teach you a painful lesson on why you shouldn't step on any of your betters, Familiar!" he spoke rather condescendingly as he brandished his rose's stalk at me.

I had very little to naught experience against these 'mages' but from the oddity of their techniques and styles, I needed to approach this with the right amount of caution before stepping on top of the iceberg. Those construct could be carrying venom, debilitating traps or even set to detonate on contact, especially so if they are made of earth. I am sure Deidara would not mind me taking precaution basing off his 'artistic', exploding clay style. I also needed to remind myself that ninjutsu would probably be a very bad idea, if my still severely damaged chakra coils were any indication. The boy is also using a similar style to the Sage's Arts by utilising natural energy but I'll need more data to be absolutely sure.

The boy got resourceful as he sent one from my right to jump up from one of the tables as high as its metal legs could leap, destroying the said table into smithereens. The construct held its halberd with both its hand gripping upon the end of said weapon's hilt, granting a decent amount of distant between it and the bladed tip, ensuring maximum momentum build up for a head-shattering deathblow from above. Meanwhile the middle one held its halberd in a ready-throw javelin position. It pulled back its left arm as far as its frame could lean without tipping off, the groaning sounds of metal bending could be heard as tension builds up within its frame, before hurling the halberd with great force. At the same time, the one on my left side went for a more direct assault, dashing across the great hall with its halberd readied to impale its puppeteer's enemies without mercy.

Halberds are typically heavy mid-range melee weapons that focus on bone-shattering attacks and piecing strikes or they could be as effective albeit cumbersome throwing weapons as well. To utilize it fully, one must strike with precision and enough momentum for optimum result, thus greater effectiveness in numbers where distractions were bountiful. The boy had a pretty sharp mind. He had planned to distract me with multiple incoming attacks while hoping that one of the three attacks would connect.

However, in that instant where the tip of the halberd no more than mere inches away from my skull, I sidestepped it to the side. The construct could do naught but impaled the halberd unto the marble floor, a prisoner of its own momentum. In doing so, I grabbed the metal pole with unyielding strength and took advantage of its momentum before using them to smash the empty suit of armour into the marble floor with enough force to create a half-meter deep crater, relinquishing its sole weapon from its metal grip. Then all of a sudden, a bright white light began emitting from my left hand. On it, some kind of strange writings have been engraved unto the skin, shining brightly for all to see.

"Humph, a sealing brand. That's an interesting design." I muttered aloud. However, aside from the fact that this light-effect makes my left hand glow in the dark, there seemed to be no other side effects.

Slightly preoccupied, I minutely sensed the flung halberd approaching, ducking just enough for it to barely scrape my hood. The offending metal flown right through the air that should have been my skull. Instead, I caught its hilt in mid-air, spun it 180° and threw it back to its original owner with tremendous strength. The halberd hummed as it cuts the air like some demented over-sized arrow until its tip reached the doomed construct. The tip penetrated through the construct's soft thin armour like a hot knife through butter, dismantling its centrepiece and weakening its frame further before it fell uselessly to the ground and dissolved into bronze ash.

**[****CLUNK! PLUNK! CLUNK!]**

The hall reverberated as I felt the sub-sonic sensation of metal hitting metal. The left side puppet finally caught up to me with a few horizontal slashes but was effortlessly blocked. However, with a kick, its lightweight body flew forwards as it goes for a diving attack.

**[****THUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!]**

Parry after parry, the construct attacked relentlessly without remorse. The puppet was still the same kind of construct as the previous however, this one felt more alive, more fluid and less mechanical. It was not limited to a single attack with simple slashes or piercing moves, but also made use of the blunt end of the halberd to smash the floor that sent dust and debris into its opponent eyes and obscuring the field of vision while it randomly strikes from a far. Perhaps the boy's control had increased due to the loss of a couple of his constructs. However, no matter how resourceful, such an inferior design would invite a great many flaws. A light sidekick sent its leg unbalanced, and with another low kick, its legs were broken into many pieces, effectively crippling its mobility permanently.

**[THUD!]**

I drove the stolen bronze halberd right into the belly of the construct to pin it from squirming around too much and simultaneously embedding my right arm up to an elbow deep, pumping in dozens of venomous snakelettes into the hollowed hull before delivering it with a full roundhouse kick towards the blonde puppeteer.

**THROB! **

"Shi…" was all the boy could muttered as he weaved his magic rose stalk clumsily for his rear guards to take the brunt of the incoming projectile, even knowing it would be too late. There were loud gasps from the audience as if they were holding their breath. I could imagine their flabbergasted looks on their faces as a mere 'plebeian' as they called it, fighting on par with one of their own. These 'mages' were blinded by their pride and arrogance due to 'magic'. As a result, it was common knowledge that a mage is always superior to every other non-mage. Therefore, no non-mages could bring harm towards a mage and nobles, which has led to induce a narrow-minded society that reflect their narrow mind-set. I grinned haughtily before a water cyclone blew the crippled construct away, causing it to land ungracefully all the way to the end of the great hall.

"Oh, and you are?" I asked dryly.

"Hmph…I'm Montmorency Margarita la Fère de Montmorency," She spoke regally but her tone was brimming with irritation. "and Guiche won't be fighting alone in this duel." the freckled girl with the blonde curled ringlets decided to step into the fray with what looked like a whip made completely out of water extending from her 'stick'. Judging from that earlier cyclone and 'water whip', she must be a 'water specialist', and a decent one if the size and shape of those techniques were any indication, probably around medium chunin.

"Monmont…you need not come at my mercy," he said with slightly warm tone. The freckled blonde girl just shrugged it off as if he had not said anything. "I can take care of this." the freckled girl just seemed unassured for a moment but nodded nonetheless and stood behind her lover. I could see through his fake bravado but why would he turn down the girl's help? She would have been an effective if not glorified pawn rather than to fight alone in this duel.

"I will still support you, Guiche. Even if I have to soil my own two hands." she retorted in condensing tone.

"Cute parlour trick by the way, Momo-chan. At least next time I'll know whom to call if a fire breaks out." I taunted, curious of this clan's water techniques.

"**P-PARLOUR TRICK?!**" she screamed in outrage as the girl narrowed her eyes with a seething glare. Touché.

With that last pre-emptive attempt failed, all three of his halberd-wielding constructs were incapacitated. Leaving him with only three fully abled others. I overestimated these earth puppets. They were nothing like the Suna's deathly creations and their puppet-master style. These were thinned versions – inferior even to the wooden-made 'Suna' puppets. These 'construct' were thoroughly hollowed as well as poorly fabricated integrity wise. Their exogenous built made them excelled in agility, had a low cost activation and ease of manipulation. However the trade-offs of hollowed suit of armours is it compromised structural integrity, inadequate mass and prone to concussive blows without much mass to stabilize them, not to mention loud due to its hollowed feature.

The ones with heavy broadswords seemed to act as the rear-guard this time and unlike last time, he turned passive, waiting for my next move. The two constructs seemed to be brandishing their large and bulky weapon in an attempt to taunt me, so I did what was obvious – I took the bait. I eyed him for a moment before weaving a couple of hand signs, pumping in chakra as I began to launch my counter attacks. With the enchantment of chakra at the soles of my feet, its grip upon the marble floor increases tremendously, giving me beyond humanly possible speeds. My internal energy circulation increased in intensity as I felt a slightly warm sensation of chakra flowing down my arms and into my palms as a dazzling blue wave of chakra manifested itself in the form of pseudo-scalpel like blades around the edge on both of my hands.

The boy swung and flicked his rose stalk once again as one of the slim-looking constructs took the vanguard and dashed forward to halt my advances. "I'm dangerously overestimating these 'mages'." I muttered to myself. This slimmer version was obviously faster, that much was obvious. Armed with naught but a single long sword meant that its main offensive would likely be rapid and successive strikes at critical points. To add prove to my theory, as the construct came within point of contact, it unleashed a barrage of strikes in quick succession, which had hardly faze me as I effortlessly dodged and sidestepped every strike while simultaneously chipping away fragments of the blade with my chakra dissection blades. A piercing strike to the heart, then a slash across the abdomen, another piercing attempted towards my lungs and another slash above my shoulders. With every strike unleashed with mild precision yet deathly speed, the construct awkwardly twisted and turned to maximise every strike – even as the inferior bronze sword chipped and slowly crumbled before my enchanted blades; cracks and lines appeared on its dulling edge. It had continued its onslaught until the very blade was nothing more than a dull bronze club.

"I-Im-Impossible…he's a m-mage?!" the freckled blonde girl stuttered. I could tell she was jarred by this, even more so than Guiche but I could not be reckless. As soon as I thought that, a pair of short swords flung towards me as I instinctively intercepted with a barrage of shurikens. One flown off course and buried itself a third deep into the marble floor, while the other was not so affected as it flew by and merely passed me as if I was not the intended target. The sword flew towards the slim construct at which it took the liberty to procure the freshly made sword mid-air for itself. I was mildly surprised to realize that the whole thing was a feint for the boy to rearm his puppet. I was even more surprised as I'd barely able to dodge a shield that was hurled at me at tremendous speed, imbedding itself into the nearby wall. Although his puppets were clearly outclassed, I smirked inwardly, pleased to know that my opponent was not taking any chances with that creative feint.

"Was that all the aces up your sleeve, Blondie? Or was it a lucky strike? Either way, you've already lost." I deliberately struck his nerve to distract him momentarily, grinning as I saw his expression contorted into an unsightly crunched up face as he sputtered chain of curses about 'Brimir's balls' and such.

Before the construct could rearm itself with the embedded shield, I was already advancing to counter it. With a final huff, I kicked off in a dash as strong as my sole enchanted legs could pushed, utterly destroying the construct's chest with a punch before it even registered my hasty counter attack. The punch wasn't anything special, in fact it was weak compared to some of the more advance 'taijutsu' techniques, yet the construct flew slightly backwards before it ceased movement entirely and finally dropped dead as if the bronze puppet was detached from its strings. I then hastily crossed the gap between the blonde couples and me in an instant before coming to a full halt. My chakra dissection blades flickered lazily inches away from a certain blonde couple's throats as I stood in between them with my arms crossing in an X pattern, while the other two puppet's weapons crisscrossing at mine. The flamboyant boy seemed to have a better knack for reaction reflex than I previously anticipated. Though his puppets were not up to standard, the kid got potential.

Not only he could mold and shaped six detailed puppets from bare earth and embellished them into bronze and fabricating them into suits of armour, he also managed to put various shapes, weapons and battle traits into each one, potentially flanking his enemies. Albeit he could not control all at once as he only control three of his puppets at one time while keeping the others in idle state. Now that his number and range advantage was all but dwindled to a remaining two armed , a water specialist which is also happened to be his lover and trapped within melee combat, I was sure he would change tactics…however was disappointed when it never came.

"Eeppp…!" the freckled blonde girl yelped in shocked as her dominant hand loosen its grip and dropped the wooden stick she was holding onto the marble floor, which thoroughly dispelled whatever that had empowered the water whip. I guess without those wooden sticks, their technique would falter and dissolve. I was practically grinning enough to split my head into halve over the revelation. And with it, I could tell the raw fear exuded from her as she sweats bullets when she realized the source of my sudden gleefulness.

"W-What?! H-How di-did y-you…?" the blonde fop stuttered nervously as his eyes widened in astonishment of my feats.

The novelty soon wore off as his expression turned utterly livid compared to his astonished expression earlier. He was completely muddled as to how I could reach them when I was practically a 30 feet from them. He however had good enough reflex to command his idle constructs at the spur of the moment involuntarily and that had probably saved him.

"Orthodox tactics, above average creativity, good reflex and subpar puppet creation; though you lack two vital traits, Blondie," I snarled in amusement at his state of shock. "Control and Focus." I added with a haughty smirk.

"**W-WHAT ARE YOU S-SAYING?!** **M-MY VALKYRIES ARE P-PERFECT!"** he stuttered all over the place, his grip over his rose stalk turning white from the pressure he was applying at the time.

"Huh, such blatant excuse of a puppet – perfect you say?" I raised my sardonic tone a bit higher this time to express my disapproval.

From the contemptuous glare he shot at me, I took that as a mute retort. The boy had potential although he lacked certain prospects, or more like too much of it. A puppeteer would do well to stay clear of the battlefield, hidden from danger and sight while applying pressure on the enemy through debilitation and one-hit kill techniques. The fop did had a good deal of tactical ability, no doubt about that, but his pride ensured that he would show himself instead of hiding and wasting their breath over their own superiority which gives precious seconds for his enemy to turn the odds around.

"You lose." I told him on a whim.

"Why so sure of yourself? I already have you where I want you, by the throat." he retort flippantly, sounding ever so confident even over a stalemate. I then slowly gestured him to look down with a quick nod of my head.

He smirked haughtily, so assured that this battle was his. All that bravado quickly disappeared as he peered downwards only to turn pale at the sight of nearly two dozen white snakelettes writhing around them. He levelled his head with dilated pupils only to be surprised by my own sneering mirth.

"Do not underestimate these critters. Though small, they carry enough venom to kill ten men within a single bite. You would do well to remember not to step on any of your betters." I shot back by referenced to his earlier taunts.

As if acting like portals, half a dozen arm-sized white snakes popped out from each sleeves of my robe, effortlessly entangling the blonde couples into a helix of muscular vines made of flesh and bone.

**THROB****!**

"**AARRGH!**" Montmorency yelped in horrid as she screamed at the top of her lungs until every breath taken from her.

It was probably due to her incessant struggling and the helix of snakes pressing inwardly at her chest that inhibited air inhalation. There was discomfort in the eyes of the witnessing audience however this is not call a duel for nothing. Since the blonde girl intervened, she was also a part of the duel as well.

"How…" he murmured silently, diffident at the unexpected turn of events.

"Behind you…" I supplied with a grin. Even in his dire state, he frantically turned his gaze behind him as he scanned the hall in detail. He was pensive for a while, his sight locked towards a familiar scene. One of his so-called Valkyrie and what accompanied from its remains, snakelettes upon snakelettes creeping towards us. As he watched them in horror, I decided to add some more tension to the helix and was rewarded with another high-pitched scream from Montmorency.

The blonde fop hissed in pain but shot me another venomous glare before turning his attention back towards Montmorency. I noticed him running pale at the appalled sight. Before words began to trumpet from his mouth, I increased the amount of tension to the helix again, dwindling their hope of reprieve.

**[****CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!****]**

"**AAAARRRRGGHHHH!**" There was a momentous moment when the whole hall just went dead silent. All but one named Montmorency as she screamed frantically at the sound of her broken hind limbs. Her face contorted with a mixture of bluish pink and smeared make up, smooched by streams of tears from the unbearable pain.

"**MONTMORENCY! I-I YIELD! DO YOU HEAR ME FAMILIAR?! I YIELD, BRIMIR DAMNIT!**" the fop call out in an exaggerated concerned tone.

The chilling tone of broken bones made some of the audiences emptied their stomachs while others simply looked away from the eerie scene with their mouth covered to halt any fluid escaping from their throats. I grinned, watching gleefully as both of them wrestled painfully to free from those snakes but failed miserably. I had witness innumerable death to the point of immunity towards human life. Watching the blonde girl panting heavily for air and limping further before her whole body slumped like some dead meat hanged from a butcher's stall did naught to forestall her death warrant. At this point, falling unconscious was a sign of severe hypoxia, which is not bringing me much novelty as opposed to simply dissect them alive.

"**FAMILIAR! YOU HAVE WON AND PROVEN YOUR WORTH. NOW RELEASE THEM BOTH AT ONCE!**" I heard my mistress commanded vociferously, at which I paused from building further tension around the blonde duo.

Had she some solicitude towards these children then? How in the world would she be able to concern for them after how they treated her? She's a nobody; a Zero. Locking my gaze towards the tiny pinkette with an obvious 'why should I?' look, my posture remained unswayed.

She flinched slightly before steeling herself to look more intimidating. "Fam…Kabuto, this is an order. Release them without further injuring them!" but continued in silence before she added "…please…" she continued feebly, noticing her tears at the edge of her eyes. Not even a slight hint of authority in her weak voice. I eyed her before turning my gaze back to Guiche and Montmorency.

**THROOOOBBB!**

"Argh…" I moaned slightly when a sudden migraine struck me. I held my head, messaging them as I thought on handling the situation as creative as I could get.

'_**Listen to her… Do not kill them… Louise is my master…'**_

I shook my head as voices began to permeate my mind as if 'suggesting' me to obey those orders. With that in mind, I took a glimpse of the gathering teens. Rendering mixed looks of resignation, sympathetic and as if pleading for me to release those serpentine restraints. Some even had the galls to point their 'proxies' towards me but their teary eyes and shaking limbs were dead give-away towards their resolves. I narrowed my eye at the crowd of teens, releasing a mild amount of killing intent as they began permeating the air almost immediately. The effect was quick as most turned paled, dropping down to the ground in utter dread and helplessness.

'_**Listen to Louise… Release them… I am her familiar…I shalt obey!'**_

I shook my head again as the voices became more lucid and louder, demanding obedience towards the pinkette.

"I'm able to withhold the boy's death but the girl may have been permanently da…maged…" I paused before I returned my gaze back to Louise. My eyes widen at the discovery of an unknown force attempting to tap into my memories and impulses. Then I remembered the runes, the ones edged unto the flesh of my left hand. The light was all but gone, however the written runes itself was now obvious in plain sight. These were not here before. Even after last night, there were no such runes resembling like any of these ones. Might they had been healed after the pinkette kissed me? So why would these reappear now of all times if so?

Nevertheless, that was not the point. These runes merely indicated that a certain force has invaded my circulatory and nervous system. It is true that I am receiving a perpetual amount of chakra, however these chakra were merely physical. Could it be that the mental part of the chakra is forcing itself into my mind and slowly seeping in? Could these runes worked as boosters for familiars? With added energy reserves, yes. However, what could be achieve through…hmm. I see, that must be the reason. The mental halve of the chakra could represents knowledge, skill and experience, while the physical boosts physical prowess and provide muscle memory to facilitate the familiar's skills. Due to my slight resistant to genjutsu, it acted as a sort of temporary filter that blocks access to the foreign energy. I sigh in relief.

As I stood there pensively, I weighted my options. The constructs had already begun to wither away, disintegrating uselessly into dust meaning that the boy had lost his one and only means of offense and defence. The blonde duo were still caged in a helix of serpentine restraint made of muscles and bone roughly half a meter above ground, albeit the girl had stopped moving for a good five minute now. The gathering crowds of teens however, had taken a stand before me, whimpering and standing feebly against my presence alone. My own mistress's expression filled with terror as a look of disbelief coloured her distorted face. In addition, I am being invaded by foreign chakra of unknown origin. In subtly, concise way to say it…well…this is a fucked up moment. Just as I was about to release the blonde duo, I saw the fop began to open his mouth.

"**I YIELD! PLEASE…SPARE HER…PLEASE SPARE MY DEAR MONTMORENCY'S LIFE!"** I returned my gaze towards the half-death boy with a didactic smirk. As much as I wanted to teach the fop the severe repercussion of challenging me to this farce of a duel and rob him of all he had cherished, my mind was pre-occupied by the newly acquired and personally disturbing revelations. Those thoughts lingered on, even when Louise came closer in obvious reluctant. Tugging my robes gently, she gives me a pleading look of sympathy, almost elegiac.

"K-Kabuto! L-Let them…Let my f-friends go." she whispered sheepishly, tears on the verge of forming around the pinkette's eyes.

Friends she says? These were the same rabbles who had called her names; whom had dismissed her as a complete failure; whom had scorned her for her incapacity. Nothing more than a pseudo-friendship based on rank, wealth and pride. I gradually lose interest over the blondes and eventually released them from their serpentine hold. The fop still had some life in him as he struggled towards the laid still Montmorency.

"Mon-mont…" Guiche crept with his remaining functioning limbs, slowly closing in on his lover. "…mon-mont…" this time his voice was weak, almost toneless as he carefully shook the blonde girl's lifeless body in an attempt to rouse her back into consciousness. The girl did not even do as much as a flinch. I suspected that she was barely hanging on to life if not already dead.

"**SOMEBODY PLEASE SUMMON A HEALER! PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP! ANYBODY!"** he cried out. He wept to the point that he seemed to be drowning from them. His voice was coarse, his hands trembled and his body convulsed in agony as he frantically sought for the attention of his peers.

The pinkette was beside me the whole time, looking at the tragedy that had transpired before her. Her little palms holding onto my robes as if desperate to cling unto somebody, anybody.

"…Montmore-…" she whispered sheepishly, as she tries to get closer to the crippled blonde girl. Her clothes were barely in decent state. Dishevelled and slightly tattered, due to her previous struggle. A hue of crimson red soaked her lacy black stockings and the hem of her finely woven skirt, dripping generously with a mixture of vital fluids and whatever remnants that had preoccupied her bladder before. The contorted displays of her deformed and crooked hind limbs soaked with blood were the only obvious proof as the source of her unbearable pain.

"**BACK AWAY YOU FIEND! YOU AND YOUR DOG OF A DEVIL!" **Guiche cried out to her in bursting outrage as he denied her of any consolation for the blonde girl.

She flinched away backwards at the angry glare Guiche shot at her before returning to my side once again, her hand clenched tightly into a balled fist. I could easily read her thought through her expressions. It was nothing more than self-loathing.

"Wait…" a soft-spoken voice breezed through the throng of circling audiences.

Guiche turned his head a full 90°, fixing his gaze upon another noble within the gathered crowd. The said noble was a thin framed girl of turquoise blue shoulder length hair and a pair of vivid red-rimmed glasses. In her hands was a partially opened book with her petite index finger in between them acting as a bookmark and a familiar looking crooked staff occupied the other. Upon reaching the blonde couples, she lowered her book and opened a few of the top buttons of the unconscious girl's blouse before revealing some skin. She then pressed against the blonde girl's chest with her left hand and held her staff with the other hand as she hovered it slightly over Montmorency's still chest.

The girl seemed to be mumbling something but unsure of what the words were with her nearly inaudible tone, adding to the difficulty, especially from this distant. The said staff then glowed a light shade of cyan blue as streams of water began foaming into a ball created from the very water vapour within the atmosphere. The ball of water condensed and as the girl mumbled another few short verse, the condensed water at the tip of staff began to subtly encapsulating the blonde girl under a thin veil of water.

"Still alive. Shock from pain and blood lost. Breathing but shallow." the bluette proclaimed softly – succinct and concise. I was slightly interested of her healing technique. The once before deformed legs had somehow been restored to its defaulted posture, ruptured and lacerated skin reattached like some imaginary surgeon stitching up an open wound. Although it was only a temporary patchwork, the once broken girl now looked like she had been recovering weeks ago.

The crowd looked relief over the revelation, but none was more distinct than Guiche's own expression of gratefulness. I noticed his earlier floods of tears had already been replaced by thin streams flowing down his already stained cheeks and murmuring something that I could not guess what. Perhaps a plot of revenge. He's certainly welcome to try. Within moments, the unconscious blonde girl slowly opened her eyes while groaning in pain.

"Gwah~" she let loose a loud yawn before realization snapped her back into reality. She blinked in confusion, unable to sense of the situation judging by her muddled expression. "Miss Tabitha? Guiche? W-what h-happened?" she demanded softly, blushed by the awkward company.

"Don't strain yourself, Monmont dearest. Miss Tabitha here is applying first aid to your injuries, so lay still." He comforted his lover as he caressed her stained cheeks. The blonde girl just nodded in return, occasionally growling in pain.

"I'm glad she's alive. I don't think your presence is helping so let's go Fam…Kabuto." my mistress suggested through whisper.

I was mostly unaffected by her words but instead turned my attention towards the bluette. Glaring at those dull azure eyes unnerved me even just for a bit, as it was almost like seeing into my own reflection. The bluette is suffering from some kind of emotional or mental trauma, if not both. As if nothing had happened, I turned to walk towards the exit. My mistress seemed to understand the underlying meaning to my sudden taciturn and followed beside me in silent.

* * *

***Scene Break***

***Louise's POV***

***Tristain's Academy of Magic: Alviss Hallway Entrance***

* * *

We were both walking down the very same hallway not too long ago, so eager to fill our stomachs. After that last incident, my appetite had quickly vanished due to various events. Things then got out of hand quickly, before long it had escalated from simple argument between him and me to a duel between him, Guiche and Montmorency.

**[GRROOOOOWWWWWLLLL~]**

Now that things were fairly settle, my tummy seemed rather exasperated over skipping breakfast and demanding compensation, and quick. As I saw to my side, my familiar was still as pensive as he was walking out of the Alviss Hall. I however am not stupid enough to bother him during his unstable mood swings – knowing that he had bested both an earth dot and a water line mage together in a duel. Well not only bested, but very capable of ending their lives even. Whoever or whatever my familiar is, he is no plebeian but he is also certainly not a mage or noble either. Oh dear Brimir, what have I truly done wrong to have earned your ire.

**[GRROOOOOWWWWWLLLL~]**

"Kabuto, I'm sorry." I muttered loud enough to be heard. "It was because of my own weakness that I lashed out my pent-up problems at you." I spoke louder this time. I figured that he too must be unhappy with how things had unfortunately ended.

"Louise, a word with you please." He spoke with finality, his tone sounded strangely emotionless. I watched him as he grew further apart as he strode towards the residential dormitories.

"WAAAIT~" I stop to turned around at the howling voice by what seemed to be a maidservant.

"Hmph? Oh, Mrs Siesta. What brings you here?" Kabuto asked her smoothly. I raised a brow at the instant transition of his demeanour at the maid's arrival.

"Umm…well…I, uhh…I just want to make sure that you were alright, Kabuto." the maid sounded her concern.

"I am just fine, thank you Siesta for your concern." he kindly replied.

**[GRROOOOOWWWWWLLLL~]**

I held my abdomen tightly together with both my arms supporting it like a mother would cradle her baby, seemingly felt shamefaced at the rather embarrassing but involuntary reflex.

"Umm, I could prepare breakfast and deliver them to your room if you wish, Lady Vallière." the maid offered as she heard the full grunt of my rather peeved belly.

"That will be wonderful, thank you." I replied jovially.

"Will that be all, Lady Vallière?" she continued. Kabuto did seemed he wished to have a long conversation later, maybe some afternoon snacks might do.

"Prepare a set of Darjeeling tea and some light pastries for two and deliver them later in my room." I kindly supplied her with my personal taste on tea and types of biscuit that I might want. In the end, the whole affair took no more than five minutes to settle.

* * *

***Scene Break***

***Louise's POV***

***Tristain's Academy of Magic: My Luxurious Room***

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The maid, Siesta, had prepared a full course breakfast for me and another meal specifically meant for the kitchen staff to my familiar, Kabuto. After having our share of fillings, the maid quickly took over of the cleaning and replaced them with a full tea set of quality ceramics and an assortment of tip-bits, cupcakes and biscuits that I have requested earlier.

"That will be all Siesta, thank you." the maid in person beamed at me before she went out of the room to leave us in private.

"Are you a noble?" I asked him forthrightly. I could not stand the suspense as I waited for an answer. How could I not after witnessing everything that had befall upon Guiche and Montmorency during that duel?

"No." He answered almost dismissively. "What. Is. This?" He then suddenly shoved his left hand which held the inscribed familiar runes. "Where is the external source of its energy? How does it interact with the nervous system? Was it you who originally designed this seal?"

"Wait the minute! I don't understand what you are talking about! External energy and nervous system? It's just the familiar runes! It was designed by the Founder, Brimir!" I sputtered out hastily, confused by the foreign terms.

"Your founder, Brimir, lived six thousand years ago, Strawberry-chan. If such a span of time had passed, surely a design as complex and useful as this seal requires some sort of external energy to power it, and it can't be that founder your people are so fond of." He admonished tiredly.

"And what makes you so sure that it even requires power to function? It's just a brand!" I retorted sharply.

"…"

"The familiar rune is just a glorified brand that promotes you as my official familiar. It is the link between a master and the familiar that truly matters. An ordinary familiar could grant its senses to the master via that very link such as sight, smell, and sound as well as a mental chain to ensure obedience; but you don't do any of that do you!" I screamed that last part out as if releasing a part of my pent-up feelings I've kept bottled inside. "And now I've lost the little respect I had left before you came along." I muttered that last part softly as if to remind myself of my bane-infested fate. At that moment, I regretted ever saying that. He heard my plea and answered my summons after all, yet I treated him like a mere beast yet he defended my pride a few times already. I heard the rustling of his robe and the light thuds of his footsteps as he went out the door before disappearing into the dimmed lit corridor entirely, leaving me within the empty confines of my room. Minutes passed without as much of a single beep, I swallowed my stained pride in shame and walked delicately to the bed. "I'm a mess." I said in correlation to everything, including myself. It was always a fact I had kept from getting to my head, that I was a Zero – tonight had changed that. Now I truly do believe that is my fated runic name, The Zero.

"If I may, Lady Vallière, but I wish to inform you of a certain detail about Kabuto." I shifted my sight towards the half-opened door. In its centre was the same raven black haired maid that had spoken to Kabuto this morning. "It's imperative that you must know, Lady Vallière." She pressed her palms together as if begging for me to allow her to do so.

"Siesta was it? What is it about Kabuto that I must know?" I asked curiously. What information would the maid had with her to have her resulted in such a distressed state such as this? The maid took a deep breath before she appeared to steel herself at which had made me even more nervous as what could had invoke such a dire reaction from the maid.

"Kabuto, he…he's not entirely human. But that's not the worst of it, Lady Vallière," I instantly went to my counter drawer before drawing out my riding crop, enraged by such an affront towards my familiar and by extent, an affront to me.

**[SMAAACKK!]**

"How dare you try to mock my familiar by saying such things!" I reprimanded her with a whipped to the cheek. The maid, shocked as she was, fell bottom first as she stared at me with determination.

"Lady Vallière, please listen, Kabuto is…" She resumed as she held her tender cheeks with her right hand and her left arm out stretched to defend her face from the brunt of another whip from the riding crop. I did not relent and kept whipping the maid until she could barely hold on to her face. Her arms were severely bruised and lacerated from the harsh beatings. I stopped my hard fooled rampage as I realized my actions – I'm abusing the maid as an outlet source to relieve my pent-up frustrations. This isn't how a noble should act, the maid had not meant any harm and was completely unarmed and defenceless. Donned by the realisation that the beating had stopped, the maid stood as graceful as her station would allow even with the severe injuries she had sustained before she walked limply towards the door. "I overheard your conversation with Kabuto just now. I just wish to say, that Kabuto is not what he appears to be and that he wishes no ill-intent for you or anyone else. He just wished to get back from where he came. Goodnight, Louise~" She said tiredly as she strode down the hallway to continue her evening duties. I merely stared at the now empty space that had which been where the maid had fell. Had I really went that far? My gaze shifted to the riding crop vice tightly in my grip.

"Oh Founder, what have I done?"

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***End of Chapter***

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**Author's Notes, Ideas, Concepts and Thoughts:**

**I apologize for the really late update. I've been really, really busy. **

**Nothing anything special. The Throbbing is a side-effect of summoning the snakelettes into this world/reality. Any mass transported from Naruto verse will have to go through an unfathomable distance through space before arriving in Halkegenia in one piece. The bigger the mass and the more energy it has with it, the more taxing it would be. In a simple analogue example, a simple snake summon like used during the duel would take up as many as four to seven times more chakra than normal to invoke traditionally, depending on size and energy available at summon. There would also be a significant time delay for bigger mass/energy beings to be summons like Edo Tensei unless the soul being reincarnated is originally from Halkegenia itself. Further complications would ensue but it'll have to wait a while longer.**

**Louise had no qualms in using her riding crop to beat the living daylights outta Saito in the original series. Because she has an extremely complicated inferior complex, she ends up being very aggressive when provoked. Poor Siesta, she was just at the wrong place at the wrong moment.**

**To date, Siesta is the only person in Halkegenia to realise Kabuto's real predicament, even as vague as it is. That he's simply the victim of a spoiled brat noble and forced to become a pet. She also saw the battle which took place in the Grand Alviss Hall so she is aware of his unique 'magic' and also heard when he said that he wasn't a noble during his conversation with Louise yet think it was weird due to his position. He's someone who's able to best two nobles yet let himself under the wings of Miss Vallière. **

**I'm not 100% using the original materials especially the character's personality because in ZnT and Naruto, the character developments were shallow and generic so I'm going to add a few tweaks here and there based on real life accounts, story development and a more realistic and more human personality rather than the generic tsundere and kuudere.**

**If anyone has some problem or confused about anything related to this fic, please let me know via the review section. I would be happy to oblige any question so long they stay within reason. If they are errors or mistake or even missing words/punctuations or whatever they are, just alert me via PM/Review as well. Any constructive criticism are more than welcome. Flames on the other hand, well…I'm not too wildly keen on flamers and trollers. You can post them as I would be helpless to stop you, however you are helpless to stop me from ignoring and blocking you so keep that in mind, aite. Take care guys.**

**Please R&R. **

**Yours Truly; FranKey**

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**Written and arranged by 'FranKey AdeL' (Author)**

**Ideas and Theories by 'Chongie Af' (Theorist)**

**Special Thanks;**

**Beautiful art cover of Kabuto and Louise by courtesy of 'Buntaks' (Art Design)**

**Plot quality assured by 'Ark' (Beta reader)**


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